Schools to offer employee daycare

Several Sisters teachers and other school employees who are the parents of preschool children will have one less worry in the coming school year: Their need for daycare can be met by a high-quality daycare center located in the district's middle school.

The Sisters School Board approved plans to rent space to such a center at a special meeting July 21. The center will occupy an unused room on the ground floor of the former high school building, which is being remodeled to become the middle school.

The school district will house the daycare center but will not run it. The operation will be run by a private daycare provider.

The board received a request to authorize a daycare arrangement at its June meeting. Board members liked the idea but expressed several concerns, including insurance and the costs of making daycare workers employees of the district, as originally proposed.

At its July 21 meeting, the board accepted a revised plan under which the daycare operator will function independently. Daycare workers will contract with the operator and not be employees of the district. And the center will acquire its own insurance coverage.

The program is being created to serve the perceived needs of school district employees with young children. Advocates argued that daycare service is scarce in the Sisters area, especially for infants. The middle school center will be expected to serve up to four "infant/toddlers" (ages 0-3) and 10 preschoolers (ages 3-5).

It's possible that there will be openings for a few children whose parents are not district employees. The Daycare Committee's proposal said those slots would be filled according to a priority list, giving top priority to the child of a parent who is attending high school.

Although this type of program will be new to Sisters schools, board discussion indicated that daycare is offered to staff members in several others districts around the state.

In addition to offering a service that will help the district attract and retain good staff members, the board liked the fact that the daycare center may have educational benefits -- possibly acting as a type of "lab" for students interested in child development. The high school already offers child development classes. Sisters Middle School Principal Lora Nordquist said her school doesn't have such classes , but she expects some students to want to help out in the center.

The center is expected to operate during the school year on a budget of between $50,000 and $60,000. The center will pay $100 a month rent to the district, which will help cover utilities and miscellaneous expenses. But the operation will be cost-free as far as the school system is concerned, with all operating costs met from fees paid by parents. Even initial remodeling expenses -- installation of two sinks and a toilet, for which plumbing is already available -- will be covered by the daycare program through volunteer labor and materials.

The center is expected to be run by Sarina Henderson, an experienced Sisters daycare provider. The agreement with the school district will be for one year.