Child daycare

By Laura Schmidt

PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. — Children are the future and a daycare facility in Clinton County is doing all they can to ensure safety and proper care for the children and parents of Plattsburgh.

The subsidized child daycare is run by the Department of Social Services in Clinton County and has been providing care for children for seven years. The business is always enthusiastic when it comes to helping those in need.

This daycare provides a safe and healthy environment for children ages six through 12. Their main goal is to provide children with proper meals, exercise and basic education during their time there. Another important aspect of the daycare is to lend a helping hand to parents who may be struggling financially.

Some who attend the daycare are children of young parents, some still in high school, and for those people, staying at home may not be an option. This daycare is actively trying to create a better community and brighter futures for both children and parents.

Self-sufficiency is something the daycare is constantly promoting.

Grace Cassidy is a mother of twins who have attended the daycare four days a week for the last five months.

Cassidy feels the care providers who work there are trustworthy and know how to treat children with the right amount of care and nourishment as well as discipline and education.

“When I drop them off every morning I know they're in good hands,” Cassidy said.

Another great quality of this daycare is it's flexibility when it comes to paying for weekly care. The daycare assesses a households gross income and family size, then chooses a price from there that's reasonable and, most of the time, affordable.

For parents who leave for work early and stay late, care providers even offer their services at home before or after school. For commuting parents like Todd Motisi this is a life-saving service.

“I leave for work at six in the morning every weekday and I'm not home until dinner time,” Motisi said. “When I'm not around I want to know my son's safe and with someone qualified.”

Not only are the care providers highly qualified, but they genuinely care about the children and their learning experiences.

“This is definitely the most rewarding job I've ever had,” Casey Reed, 20, a care provider, said. “The kids are so sweet and seeing them learn and grow is really awesome.”

Reed has been working at the daycare for over a year and says she has learned a lot about child care and responsibility in her time there.

Before becoming a provider there are a few requirements each provider must fulfill such as attending an orientation, completing 10 hours of health and safety training and even finger printing.

“I had to get my fingerprints taken before I could start working,” Caitlin Zach, 20, a care provider, said. “At first, I thought it was weird but then realized it only made the place safer for the kids and everyone else.”

Along with preliminary requirements, each care provider must complete a total of 30 hours of training every two years in order to refresh their memory on safety procedures and other plans.

Children play and engage in academic games, enjoy healthy meals and interact with other children their age.

“Getting the kids to socialize and pal around with each other is a really important part of development,” Theresa Collins, 22, a care provider, said.

Collins started working her senior year of high school and believes her job has a great impact on the lives of the children. Collins is very thankful for her job and wants nothing but the best for the kids.

“I love watching the young kids slowly turn into functioning children,” Collins said. “It makes me feel like my job is doing some good for the community.”

The child daycare wants to provide the best environment for children and their parents and they truly care about the well-being of everyone who passes through their doors.

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