Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
SYRACUSE - Friday, Lakeland Community Services Inc. (Lakeland Day Care) is closing.
But Chris Sands, a member of the board of directors, said today the closing is temporary and they hope to be closed "as short as possible."
She said the closing is "to reorganize and look at the focus. We have some issues that need to be looked at."
While she said she didn't want to go into detail about the closing, part of the problem is one that day care centers across the state are having - the state dropped the child day care voucher program last year.
The voucher program helped pay for day care for families who may not be able to afford day care otherwise. Without the vouchers, the parents lose the ability to pay for day care and the day cares lose money.
"Everyone's distraught, just like we are as a board," said Sands.
New Beginnings Daycare, Milford, is operating $15,000 in the red due to lack of funds, New Beginnings board president Deb Gillum and board member Becky Alles told the Milford Town Council earlier this month.
Gillum said under the voucher program, the day care received approximately $25,000 per year to pay for child care for families who otherwise would not be able to afford it.
Thanks to one person who made a large donation, Gillum said, they are able to meet payroll for now.
Sands said Lakeland Day Care has approximately 25 employees. A few already resigned and "the rest will be unemployed."
Seventy children attend Lakeland's Day Care and there's 30 children in the Latch Key program.
Where the children go after Lakeland's closing, Sands said, "is up to the parents. We have some teachers that are going to provide some in-house day care," but that's up to the teachers themselves.
If the community wants to help the day care, Sands said, they can make monetary donations. If anyone is interested in being on the board of directors, Sands said, they are interested in forming a new board.
Once the day care is ready to reopen, she said, teachers will be contacted first and then the parents as well as the media.
"Right now," she said, "that's our goal."
