Nearly two years ago, the Clyde-Savannah Central School District started its daycare for children of the District’s employees. The biggest reason: employee retention. Providing free daycare for staff’s young children is a benefit few, if any, Districts offer.
“We wanted to bring in staff and keep them here,” said Daycare Director Kim Larsen, who has run the daycare since its inception. In fact, after more than two decades working at Clyde-Savannah, Superintendent Mike Hayden approached Larsen to help start the program, thanks to her previous experience and training as a daycare provider.
Larsen became a licensed daycare provider when her children were younger, so she could offer daycare in her home. Once her kids were in school and she stopped providing daycare, Larsen kept up her certification and training, not realizing that it would come in handy years later.
Now she’s the Daycare Director and loving every minute of it. “It’s like a big family in here,” said Larsen. “We love to watch the kids grow.”
She’s talking about the eight children currently attending the daycare, with more on the way. “We’re expecting two more and two babies soon,” she added. With 12 children, the daycare is a full house. Kids range in age from six months to five years with four total employees–Maryann Roche, Marcia Chance, Sarah Large, and Larsen–to maintain state-mandated ratios. Babies require two adults, while one adult can oversee up to four older children.
The program focuses on helping children acquire social skills and provides traditional learning like numbers, colors, and shapes. They also focus on seasonal activities, like making apple crisp or cutting up apples in the fall.
Every morning, the children start with free time and breakfast, then participate in music and dance before arts and crafts. “We do lots of arts and crafts,” said Larsen, laughing. “That’s most of our budget.”
Weather permitting, the kids spend an hour outside on the playground before sitting down together for lunch. “We eat family-style,” said Larsen, “and we focus on using silverware and practicing good manners.”
It’s this kind of socialization that’s making a positive impact on the children, some of whom were struggling with language development and social skills when they first started coming. “It’s amazing to see them making improvements,” said Larsen.
After lunch, the kids have naptime, each in their own bed with a blanket in their own color. The rest of the day is spent having a snack, going for a walk, and enjoying free play.
“It’s great because the parents are right here,” said Larsen. At first, she said parents would peek in the window to check on their kids as they got adjusted. But now the kids are right at home.
Hayden and Larsen believe other Districts could benefit from a program like this, and have even hosted leaders from other local Districts considering something similar. “We want to become a resource so that other Districts can do this too,” said Larsen. Her first recommendation to someone interested: Look at the Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) website for information on how to get started.
“The success of our employee daycare program has been truly remarkable,” said Hayden. “It’s made a tremendous difference for our staff by easing the challenges of balancing work and family, while strengthening our sense of community here at Clyde-Savannah.”
For Larsen and her employees, the job is nothing but a delight. “We enjoy our jobs,” said Larsen. “It’s fun and exciting every day.”
