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SWIFS to reconsider child care facility again
By Jennifer Nichols, NT Staff Writer
Members of the Southwest Iowa Family Services, Inc. (SWIFS) asked members of the Atlantic School Board Monday night to consider the old Lincoln School property as a site for a possible Child Care facility. The request, officials said, was the result of a need for site plans to go with a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) application.
“We are proposing that the school make available to SWIFS a building site to enable us to carry this project forward,” Hal Gronewold, SWIFS representative, told the board Monday night. “We need to identify a site to enable our architect to develop a sketch of the center which we need to submit with an application for a CDGB grant due this fall. We are recommending the old Lincoln Elementary property as the preferred site, primarily because building it elsewhere on the school campus would contribute to traffic congestion and disturb the aesthetics of the existing campus configuration. Our sampling of opinions lead us to believe the Lincoln site would be well received by the community, particularly if this project could tie in with any future development plans that the school might have at this location.”
SWIFS representative Dave Dunfee said the group is planning on asking for the maximum CDBG amount, $600,000, for the facility, and if they don’t receive it, other fund-raising would be done. He also stressed that the facility would serve 100 children, and officials from Head Start, Matthews House and Little Lambs were “interested” in being part of the project and may close or move to the new location once the new facility is open. But Dunfee added that other childcare facilities were important to the area.
“We need private care,” he added.
Board member Dennis Davis asked why the issue was back after it seemed to go away following much debate and discussion when the issue came up last year.
Dunfee said SWIFS was waiting for the results of a survey on childcare which Gronewold said indicated that one-third of those surveyed would be interested in using a facility like the one SWIFS proposed if it was available.
According to the results of the survey, providers said they would like to receive higher pay and benefits for their work, and more respect and support from the community. Parents say finding the childcare provider that they trust to take care of their children is difficult, and the cost of childcare is expensive. They also say childcare is needed outside the traditional hours. Both parents and providers said transportation to and from childcare was a big problem. Others mentioned the number of current childcare providers in Atlantic, how over half of the spots with those providers were full, that there are no incentives for providers to offer child care outside the traditional hours, a lack of knowledge about early education and what providers contribute to the community and that a list of providers in the area was needed to help parents find child care.
Board President Phil Hascall said board members are working on a 10-year plan for buildings in the district, and they would have to see how the facility would fit into that plan. Atlantic Superintendent Dr. Wendy Prigge said the architect working with the board on the plan is aware of the facility, but hasn’t made any kind of recommendation about it to the board yet.
COMMENTS ON THESE STORIES ARE WELCOME, BUT FULL NAMES AND PHONE NUMBERS MUST BE INCLUDED IN THE POSTING FOR VERIFICATION, BEFORE THEY WILL BE RUN. PHONE NUMBERS WILL NOT BE PUBLISHED. THANK YOU.
“We are proposing that the school make available to SWIFS a building site to enable us to carry this project forward,” Hal Gronewold, SWIFS representative, told the board Monday night. “We need to identify a site to enable our architect to develop a sketch of the center which we need to submit with an application for a CDGB grant due this fall. We are recommending the old Lincoln Elementary property as the preferred site, primarily because building it elsewhere on the school campus would contribute to traffic congestion and disturb the aesthetics of the existing campus configuration. Our sampling of opinions lead us to believe the Lincoln site would be well received by the community, particularly if this project could tie in with any future development plans that the school might have at this location.”
SWIFS representative Dave Dunfee said the group is planning on asking for the maximum CDBG amount, $600,000, for the facility, and if they don’t receive it, other fund-raising would be done. He also stressed that the facility would serve 100 children, and officials from Head Start, Matthews House and Little Lambs were “interested” in being part of the project and may close or move to the new location once the new facility is open. But Dunfee added that other childcare facilities were important to the area.
“We need private care,” he added.
Board member Dennis Davis asked why the issue was back after it seemed to go away following much debate and discussion when the issue came up last year.
Dunfee said SWIFS was waiting for the results of a survey on childcare which Gronewold said indicated that one-third of those surveyed would be interested in using a facility like the one SWIFS proposed if it was available.
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Board President Phil Hascall said board members are working on a 10-year plan for buildings in the district, and they would have to see how the facility would fit into that plan. Atlantic Superintendent Dr. Wendy Prigge said the architect working with the board on the plan is aware of the facility, but hasn’t made any kind of recommendation about it to the board yet.
COMMENTS ON THESE STORIES ARE WELCOME, BUT FULL NAMES AND PHONE NUMBERS MUST BE INCLUDED IN THE POSTING FOR VERIFICATION, BEFORE THEY WILL BE RUN. PHONE NUMBERS WILL NOT BE PUBLISHED. THANK YOU.
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