It was standing room only at the Mountain View town council meeting. The town held a public meeting to hear input about a proposed resolution. The purpose of the resolution would be to submit an application for a grant for construction of a childcare facility.
The childcare facility has been in the works by the Linda K. Woody Foundation for ten years. Evanston Child Development Center (ECDC) has now stepped in to develop and run the center.
Most of the people who made comments were in favor of the proposed facility. Kendra West of ECDC, Elaina Zempel of the Wyoming Business Council, and State Representative Owen Petersen were all present and explained findings from studies and the need for quality, licensed childcare in the valley.
“You respond to what the needs are in your community. We respond to your application,” Zempel told the council. “We respond with what the community says they need. The need is extreme. A childcare facility is warranted in Bridger Valley.”
According information received by Councilman Scott Sidwell from Veronica Endicott, who licenses the daycare centers of Uinta County, there are no licensed care facilities for overnight and no facilities are reporting extended hours. There is only one licensed larger facility and they are licensed for 37 children. Right now there are six licensed home day care facilities, but three of those operators are planning to retire soon, leaving a large need.
Endicott said that she receives one to two calls per week for people looking for daycare in Bridger Valley. She also stated that none of these provide drop-off service or after school programs for older children.
There are at least three facilities such as the one proposed running and they have never put a privately owned daycare out of business.
Peterson said that at strategic plan hearings, they stated that these daycares usually supplement what is already there. There had been no change in the care that was already provided.
Representative Allen Jaggi expressed concern about the competition with private business to the Wyoming Business Council.
Zempel said that it’s a fine line when you have government and private business. But, she said, when there is a need for help with infrastructure then the Wyoming Business Council is there to help out.
Petersen said there are three major things that are looked at for infrastructure and they are childcare, workforce and housing.
“The more childcare we can bring in, the better. Employers are looking for childcare, recreation, and entertainment,” Petersen said.
He stated that if we want the valley to grow we need more child care and that the community surveys show a “crying need.”
One citizen stated that this should not be a competition, and that we should look at what it would do for the Valley. It would bring in opportunities for jobs. She also stated that the Valley has put money into this project for ten years, and that it is a Valley project. She said that we finally get to see what our money is doing.
Kerry Platts, who owns Big Kids Club in Lyman, grew up in the Valley, moved away, and recently moved back.
“When I moved here there wasn’t anything for kids to do,” Platts said. She said that she did a lot of childcare research and developed her own philosophies and ideas to bring curriculum and activities for kids to the valley.
“We really put ourselves in a child’s space,” she stated. “I think 75-100 slots would be very hurtful to already operating businesses.”
Her husband, Robert Platts, said he understands that competition is good. He informed the council that he had put a lot of his own money, not money from charity or grants, into building their business.
“No doubt competition is good. No doubt it’s going to hurt our business,” he said.
He worries that if someone were to come in with a lot lower cost it would look good to their customers and they would move their children.
Most comments made were in the positive. Many were concerned about quality preschool.
The Platts do offer preschool and that is what the proposed daycare facility will also offer. The ECDC center will also offer drop-in service and after school programs for older kids.
Stacey Aughe was concerned about the lack of after school programs for older kids. She stated that legally these children are not to be home alone.
Shelly Lopez of Lyman said that many years ago she needed childcare. She was a single mom and couldn’t afford what was offered. She said she knows there are many out there now who have the same need.
Charlotte Black stated that she wanted to go back to work when she moved back here. She decided to stay home because it wasn’t worth it because of the cost of childcare.
The proposed care facility would work on a sliding scale and would be affordable for most people. The facility would also bring in 14 new jobs within the first year and more than 20 jobs within three years.