Working Mothers Day Nursery continues to expand and modernize its facilities, thanks to the New Mexico Legislature and private donors, according to the executive director of the daycare’s parent organization.
“The state Legislature has been extremely good to us,” said Del Jurney, executive director of Family Resource & Referral, the nonprofit corporation that operates the daycare center at 500 E. Bland St. “So that’s a huge benefit to us, but also there are some local private foundations and providers that have been extremely good to us,” he added.
The daycare’s building, which is owned by the city of Roswell, was built in 1991 using federal Community Development Block Grant funds.
Over the years, the Legislature has provided capital outlay funds for the playground, sidewalks and fences. Capital-outlay funds were used to set up a new modular building northwest of the main building in 2008, he added. Design work already is being done on a second modular building is to be put up just west of that building and another parking lot, necessitated by increases in staff and enrollment, is going in north of the main building. Capital outlay funds obtained from the 2008 Legislature will fund those projects, he added
“And we’re going to do some other things as well,” he said “A lot of the systems (in the main building) are 15 years old, so we’re just knocking on wood, crossing our fingers and hoping that the heating and air conditioning doesn’t go out until we’re ready to do something about that.”
Private groups that have provided support for Working Mother include Sally and Donald Anderson, the Armstrong-Clark Foundation and another foundation that “kind of likes to stay a little anonymous,” Jurney said.
Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club are corporate sponsors, Jurney said, donating, for instance, packages of diapers that hve been opened and can’t e sold.
Service clubs also have provided support for the daycare, especially the Sertoma Club and the Fraternal Order of Eagles.
“And then there are just individuals that support what we’re doing,” Jurney said. “There’s a great partnership between nonprofit, public and private entities and people that is making this happen,” he added.
An example of what private donors can provide is the tile flooring now in the bed-baby room, which was the 4-year-old room until the 4-year-olds were moved out to the new portable classroom.
“We had 16-year-old carpet on the floor that was really bad,” Jurney said. “We decided when the portable was built and we moved the 4-year-old out there, tat we would pull up all the old floor covering in that classroom and put down new floor covering and get rugs….
“Donald and Sally Anderson and the Fraternal Order of Eagles basically paid for the project through their generosity ad their contributions, and we what it does, it takes away that lingering germ infestation in the cold season and cleans up a whole lot nicer, easier on the staff,” he added.
Because of government and private funding, Working Mothers Day Nursery is able to keep rates low, according to Director Kathleen Alonzo.
“I’m convinced we’re the lowest (cost daycare) in town, and of course we’re able to do that because we have the support of all the people and organizations,” she said.
Jurney said many low-income families qualify for state subsidies that pay all or part of the cost of daycare. Scholarships are available for those who don’t qualify for state assistance yet who still can’t afford the cost, he added. The daycare is a United Way Agency, and United Way money funds the scholarships.
“Those families who struggle, they may not qualify for a child-care subsidy, they still struggle financially for good-quality child care, we have United Way scholarships that we can provide for them as well,” Jurney said.
The center’s location on Bland between Stanton and Sherman avenues is in a generally low-income neighborhood in the southeast part of Roswell, allowing it to provide quality daycare for families that may not otherwise be able to afford it, Jurney said.
“Part of it is the agreement we have with the city that we will continue to provide a service in the eastern part of the city that creates a benefit costwise,” he added.
When the cost of child care is too high, people stop taking their children to daycare centers and find alternatives “that may not be a beneficial for them,” Jurney said.
“By getting the kids here in a positive, loving, nurturing environment, we are able to better prepare them for school and hopefully positive young adults in the community…. So we don’t want to price them back to the streets,” he added.
When it was first established in 1991, the center provided daycare services for the employees of the Levi Strauss plant, which closed in 1997— hence the name, Working Mothers Day Nursery.
But the daycare is open to anyone who needs its services, Alonzo said. Working Mothers provides daycare for children from 6 weeks old to school age, usually 5 or 6 years old.
The daycare is licensed for 120 children and runs at about 85 percent capacity, Jurney said.
“We emphasize full-time,” he added. “We did some part-time because we had the availability but as more and more people are beginning to see who we are and what we have to offer, that our full-time use is starting to increase, and that’s really what we’re hoping to accomplish.”
Working Mothers Day Nursery is open 6:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, except holidays.
Low cost isn’t the only focus at the daycare center. Working Mothers Day Nursery is on the state Aim High program, Alonzo said.
“What it does is to assist us in improving the quality of care,” she said. “It’s really a privileges for us to be on this program. There’ a consultant that comes in and helps us to maybe recognize things we might otherwise overlook.”
She said there is a leveling system within the state licensing system. The system goes from star one, which means a daycare is meeting basic licensing requirements, to star five, which is accreditation through one of the national accreditation agencies. Currently, Working Mothers is at star two and working on level three, Jurney said.
To meet level three, a daycare must develop focus portfolios for the children, professional development for the teachers, parent-teacher conferences and lesson plans for each age group, he added.
“Level three is probably the most difficult,” he said.
He hopes to get the daycare up to the accreditation level in two or three years, he added.
“Certainly you want to get there as quickly as you can, but at the same time you want to make sure it’s solid…. Uou can do it faster than it really deserved and the quality suffers a little bit,” he added. “It’s not our desire to be a meium-of-the road accredited program. We really would rather that the quality be there (even if) it takes a little bit longer for that accreditation.”
Daycare has evolved into more than just babysitting, Jurney said.
“Childcare has really advanced passed that just be in the presence of the child and making sure something drastc doesn’t happen to a real emphasis and focus on helping the child to develop himself,” he added. “That’s what the Aim High program does.”
Despite the change in emphasis from just babysitting to child development, Working Mothers has little turnover. Many have been with the daycare for several years, including one who has been with the program for 14 years, Jurney said.
“Our staff really understands the importance of quality childcare, once we’ve had the opportunity to introduce them to what the change is going to look like and elp them understand what benefits there are to the kids based on the change that’s taking place,” he added. “The staff here absolutely wants what’s best for the kids of this area and so, yeah, they’re ready to take it on in order to make it happen.” Alonzo estimated she receives about 10 calls a day inquiring about daycare.
“If we do have an opening, then what I encourage them to do is to come by ad look at the facility,” she said. “We give them a tour. I like to take them around to all of the rooms, even if it’s not a room that one of their children will be in, just so they kind of see the workings of how we flow around here.”
She said she tells parents she wants to make sure Working Mothers and their children are a good match and they feel comfortable leaving their children there.
She encourages them t see if they qualify for a state subsidy, then they decide when to start bringing their children.
“I always like to introduce the parents especially to the teachers in the rooms that (their children are) going to be in to make sure they’re comfortable and there’s communication,” she said. “I also like to offer the parents an opportunity to question the teacher about how the day goes, any question that they have, because the teachers are the front line when it comes to actually working with the children.”
In addiion to Working Mothers Day Nursery, Famly Resouce & Referral offers an after-school program for school-age children, Jurney said.
“We have been partnering with the Roswell Independent School District for probably close to 16 or 17 years, and right now we have about 600 kids enrolled I our after-school program,” he said. The program provides childcare at nine sites from te time children get out of scool until parents pick them up at 5 or 5:30 p.m., he added
Family Resource & Referral also monitors the food that is served at about 150 home daycare providers in Roswell, checking the quality and quantity of food served for which providers are reimbursed by the federal government.
“We monitor those hoes and their menus and the kids that they sere on a monthly basis,” he said.
The organization also sponsors training and technical assistance to childcare center insoutheastern New Mexico, including Chaves, Lincoln, Eddy an Lea counties, Jurney said.