March 24, 2018 at 4:17 a.m.
Study is in progress
Group looking at early childhood options
Study is in progress
The deadline has been extended.
Input is still being sought in connection with a feasibility study weighing the impact of early childhood education in Jay County.
“We’re going to extend it a little longer,” community developer Ami Huffman said Friday.
Huffman’s office in partnership with Jay Schools, United Way of Jay County, The Portland Foundation and the Youth Service Bureau has been surveying parents, employers and child care providers in an effort to determine whether early childhood education needs are being met locally and what more might be done.
With support from the foundation, the group has contracted with Transform Consulting Group of Columbia City. And Transform has hired Halstead Architects of Indianapolis and Marion to take a look at three Jay Schools buildings — Judge Haynes and General Shanks elementaries and the administrative office building — to see how well they might be repurposed for early childhood education.
“The architects have done their assessments,” said Huffman.
The three buildings were toured in February, and Halstead Architects will be reporting back to the committee in April.
Meanwhile the committee is still gathering data on a number of issues:
•Where are pre-school children while their parents are working?
•Are they prepared for kindergarten?
•Is childcare in Jay County affordable and accessible?
•What impact does the availability of childcare have on employers?
•What are employers prepared to do to help with the cost?
Input is still being sought in connection with a feasibility study weighing the impact of early childhood education in Jay County.
“We’re going to extend it a little longer,” community developer Ami Huffman said Friday.
Huffman’s office in partnership with Jay Schools, United Way of Jay County, The Portland Foundation and the Youth Service Bureau has been surveying parents, employers and child care providers in an effort to determine whether early childhood education needs are being met locally and what more might be done.
With support from the foundation, the group has contracted with Transform Consulting Group of Columbia City. And Transform has hired Halstead Architects of Indianapolis and Marion to take a look at three Jay Schools buildings — Judge Haynes and General Shanks elementaries and the administrative office building — to see how well they might be repurposed for early childhood education.
“The architects have done their assessments,” said Huffman.
The three buildings were toured in February, and Halstead Architects will be reporting back to the committee in April.
Meanwhile the committee is still gathering data on a number of issues:
•Where are pre-school children while their parents are working?
•Are they prepared for kindergarten?
•Is childcare in Jay County affordable and accessible?
•What impact does the availability of childcare have on employers?
•What are employers prepared to do to help with the cost?
So far 16 employers, mostly in manufacturing, have reported back.
Of those, 44 percent said that the current availability of early childhood education poses difficulties in recruiting and hiring employees. Half said early childhood education is one of the top five issues facing the community.
“We need more safe options,” said one employer responding to the anonymous survey. “It is very difficult to find quality, dependable child care.”
Another employer added, “Jay County is in need of good early childhood education options to unlock a group of potential employees who cannot participate in the workforce without these options.”
Parents responding to the survey agreed, with 59 percent saying early childhood education is one of the top five issues locally. More than 100 have responded to the parental survey.
Twenty-two percent said that the issue has affected their attendance at work, while 21 percent said it has an impact on their ability to work more hours and 15 percent said it has an impact on their ability to focus at work. Thirteen percent said it has affected their ability to continue their education.
At the same time, the committee has been building an inventory of the options available to families in need of child care.
“We’re adding to it,” said Huffman. The group is particularly interested in making sure the inventory includes small, unlicensed in-home child care. “We’re not going to report anybody,” Huffman stressed.
Transform Consulting is currently looking for workable models that could be replicated locally, providing the necessary revenue stream to make an early childhood education center financially feasible.
“We are looking at ways of working with employers,” said Huffman.
The committee expects to review Transform’s findings in May, with a public rollout of the findings at the end of May or early June.
To take the early childhood education survey online, parents should go to surveymonkey.com/r/JayCoParentSurvey.
Employers should go to surveymonkey.com/r/JayCoEmployerSurvey.
Of those, 44 percent said that the current availability of early childhood education poses difficulties in recruiting and hiring employees. Half said early childhood education is one of the top five issues facing the community.
“We need more safe options,” said one employer responding to the anonymous survey. “It is very difficult to find quality, dependable child care.”
Another employer added, “Jay County is in need of good early childhood education options to unlock a group of potential employees who cannot participate in the workforce without these options.”
Parents responding to the survey agreed, with 59 percent saying early childhood education is one of the top five issues locally. More than 100 have responded to the parental survey.
Twenty-two percent said that the issue has affected their attendance at work, while 21 percent said it has an impact on their ability to work more hours and 15 percent said it has an impact on their ability to focus at work. Thirteen percent said it has affected their ability to continue their education.
At the same time, the committee has been building an inventory of the options available to families in need of child care.
“We’re adding to it,” said Huffman. The group is particularly interested in making sure the inventory includes small, unlicensed in-home child care. “We’re not going to report anybody,” Huffman stressed.
Transform Consulting is currently looking for workable models that could be replicated locally, providing the necessary revenue stream to make an early childhood education center financially feasible.
“We are looking at ways of working with employers,” said Huffman.
The committee expects to review Transform’s findings in May, with a public rollout of the findings at the end of May or early June.
To take the early childhood education survey online, parents should go to surveymonkey.com/r/JayCoParentSurvey.
Employers should go to surveymonkey.com/r/JayCoEmployerSurvey.
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