Childcare Resources recently opened the doors to its sparkling new home, and last Friday morning invited supporters in for tours at their Grand Opening celebration. The wonderfully spacious school, centrally located in the Omni Building (the former Doctor’s Clinic), provides 14,300 square feet of pure joy to the children, parents, teachers, staff and supporters of the organization.
More than 20 years ago, Childcare Resources founders Sandy Kahle, Kathy Marshall and Sherry Waddell recognized the need to provide affordable, quality early education to the children of low-income parents. Eligible parents live at between 150 percent and 200 percent of the Federal poverty level and are employed full-time, attend school full-time or are engaged in a combination of the two. With the ever widening income gap, need has continued to grow. Fortunately our generous community has once again stepped up to the plate.
“The real reason Vero is a special place is that we help ourselves,” said Sam Block. Block is co-chair with Carolyn Veeneman of Childcare Resources’ Better Beginnings, Bright Futures Capital Campaign, which has already raised $1.6 million of a $1.8 million goal. “These working families have an opportunity to find their dream. This organization epitomizes exactly what Vero does.”
The focus now is on establishing an endowment, a perpetual source of income, to help keep tuition costs affordable, attract and retain quality teachers, provide teacher and parent development programs, keep current with new initiatives and technology, and provide for unforeseen emergencies. Naming rights are still available for classrooms and the playground.
The bright and airy school replaces 3,800 square feet of classroom space at Trinity Episcopal Church, as well as the 2,700 square feet of administrative space in a little house downtown.
“With a wait list of 225 children, we really needed to expand,” said Veeneman.
The group were able to accommodate a maximum of 53 children at Trinity and will eventually have 118 at the new location. There are now 10 classrooms providing space for separate age groups: a non-mobile baby room for 6 weeks to about 9 months, mobile baby room up to 14 months, and rooms for 2-, 3-, and 4-year-olds. A secure outdoor playground will have learning-based equipment, and two therapy rooms will allow for on-site therapy for children requiring speech, occupational or physical therapy.
“We’re paying attention to the 20 percent who need that extra occupational or physical therapy,” said Childcare Resources executive director Shannon McGuire Bowman.
“Our goal is to correct these issues as soon as we can. We work later with the school district to enable continuity,”
There is also a conference/training room for professional development workshops for early educators and parenting training, and ample space for administrative offices, food preparation and a laundry room. Breakfast, lunch and an afternoon snack are provided each day at the school, which is open year-round from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Childcare Resources Pre-K program is accredited by NAECY (National Association for the Education of Young Children), which means, as Center Director Tara Beard explains, “We are held to a higher standard than the state of Florida.”
In addition to a more comprehensive curriculum, she points out that NAECY allows a teacher to child ratio of 1 to 9 whereas Florida allows a ratio of 1 to 20.
“We have wonderful teachers and curriculum, but we also have a very strong parent component,” said Bowman. She and others noted that having their own school at Trinity was a great start.
“Those five years gave us an opportunity to learn what we needed,” said board president Katie Block Faires. “Now need to maintain what we have and build our endowment. Without our organization these families would have no other means of early childhood education. We’re helping to raise the quality of early education in the whole county.”
