Allen County preschools will benefit from hundreds of thousands of dollars in training, equipment and programs over the next three years.
Two organizations in the county received “All in for Kansas Kids” grants from the state of Kansas. The grants are part of a federal preschool program to target early childhood development. Kansas awarded a total of $2.1 million to 59 organizations.
The Growing Place Childcare Center & Preschool in Humboldt received $88,137.50, renewable for three years for a total of more than $264,000.
Thrive Allen County received a grant for $100,000 and a second one for $20,000. Both are renewable for three years for a total of up to $360,000.
The Growing Place is partnering with private daycares in Humboldt, which means other providers will benefit from the grant as well.
“It’s a lot of money coming into Allen County, and we can really make an impact on early childhood education,” Jessica Thompson, Thrive’s director of development, said.
Thrive Allen County
Thrive officials met earlier this fall with representatives from local daycares, schools and industries to determine the greatest needs for child care in Allen County.
Thrive has always focused on health care, Thrive CEO Lisse Regher and Thompson said. It made sense to target health issues at the early childhood level.
“So much of what we do with health and wellness come from habits we develop at an early age,” Regher said.
It’s not only important for those who care for young children to be properly trained and qualified, but also have adequate resources, including personal access to health care, Regher said.
Thompson wrote the grants with that in mind.
By far, they identified access to health insurance as a top priority for childcare workers. Daycares and preschools often do not provide such insurance.
“It’s such a huge need, especially since this pandemic,” Regher said. “These are essential workers.”
The $100,000 grant will be used to provide stipends to childcare providers to use to help pay health insurance costs. Individuals will receive $250 per month or $3,000 a year. Thrive will offer the benefit to a small number of providers to start, with plans to expand over the next three years.
Next, the grant will be used to reimburse preschools and day care providers with the costs associated with bringing a new employee on board. That could include such things as background checks, first aid and CPR training, tests for infectious diseases and more.
Finally, the grant will be used to develop an early childhood education pathway in USD 257. Thrive is working with officials in the school district to add such training to the family and consumer science courses. They’re also working to develop an internship program between high school students and local child care providers.
The second grant, for about $20,000, will be used in two ways.
Thrive plans to purchase building blocks similar to those provided on the courthouse lawn, which were provided by Talk Read Play. The blocks are quite popular with families, but are too cumbersome to move to other locations. Thrive will purchase blocks for each community, over the course of the three-year grant.
Finally, Thrive is partnering with mental health professionals to develop training programs for child care providers. Thrive will pay for the training.
The courses are still being developed, but will cover such things as coping with stress and warning signs of adverse childhood experiences, Thompson said.
Thrive plans to continue conversations with childcare providers and look for areas of need, such as finding solutions for those who work night shifts or have challenging circumstances.
“We learned so much from those conversations,” Regher said. “This is a good starting point.”
The Growing Place
A three-pronged approach will expand preschool opportunities for families in Humboldt.
The grant will provide for a new cooperative program with private daycare providers, equipment and staff development, Janie Works, The Growing Place administrator, said.
The cooperative program will share learning materials and equipment with other local providers, offering a large pool of items that can be checked out as needed. Because The Growing Place is one of the largest local preschools, and because of this grant, it has access to a greater variety of educational material.
“That’s the part we’re really excited about,” Works said. “It’s a way to work together with the other providers, and they won’t have to make those kinds of expenditures. Everyone can have a better program, including us.”
The Growing Place has appointed one of its teachers, Nicole Lucke, to serve as an outreach coordinator. She will work with daycares to determine what items work best with their children, and will pack a tote filled with various learning materials and games. These “Totes for Tots” can be checked out for two weeks.
Examples include books, educational material for language and reading development, and sensory toys.
Works hopes the outreach will extend to regular Zoom meetings, perhaps monthly, where all local providers can meet to share their stories.
“These family providers have some great ideas. We can talk about what’s working and what’s not, and what kind of support they need.”
The grant also will provide money to allow The Growing Place to purchase numerous pieces of equipment.
The building is currently under a remodel and expansion that will allow the preschool to increase its capacity by 20%. It includes a new kitchen, and a large recreation and activity center.
The kitchen will need a special oven hood, a commercial dishwasher and a larger freezer.
The grant will also be used to purchase a variety of equipment aimed at physical activity, including balance beams, soccer goals, activity mats and even a preschool-sized rock climbing wall.
Finally, the grant will provide money for professional development, including training and bonuses for employees.
Three staff members will attend specialized training programs, as part of an agreement in which they will remain on staff at The Growing Place for a year after completion.
One staff member plans to obtain an associate degree in early childhood development.
Two others plan to obtain Montessori teaching certification.
Such training programs require an investment of time and money, which can be challenging for working professionals. Montessori training, for example, is offered only in a limited number of places and will require travel, as well as six months of student teaching.
“That will really help the quality of our program,” Works said. “They will have an education that will help them make a difference in children’s lives.”
The grant also provides additional money that Works plans to offer as a bonus or stipend to help pay health insurance costs. Works said she would have preferred to increase salaries, but the grant money cannot be used in that way.
Advertisement
Advertisement
