Block · one region of the page, as the scanner read it. It may hold a whole story, part of one, several, or an advertisement; stitching blocks into articles is the next step. Text is supplied OCR.
Page 4 · column 5 of 7 · from the scan, no model involved
community, ranging from $60 per month for a part-time preschool program to $310 per month for foil-time care of a young infant. I do not know how Ms. Delevitt has derived at the conclusion that the Center charges $250 for a program whose average coaCs in surrounding counties is $160. V
First, we have no program in the j Center which costs $250 per month.l/ believe that Ms. Delevitt is rmiaformed (or there was a mis-print) and that she is referring to our foil-time preschool, which costs $205 per month. In an average month of 21 days, this breaks down to $9.76 per day for 10 hours of care.
Compare for yourself; our preschool rates are comparable to similar day care facilities in Front Royal, Warrenton and Culpeper. There are no infant-toddler programs in day care centers in these counties. However, if you compare our infant-toddler rates to those programs in the D.C. metropolitan area, you will find them to be consistently lower.
It was a particularly cutting; and ' unjustified blow for Ms. Delevitt to infer that some of our teachers had expressed dissatisfaction with the school and its policies and that some had left. In the last month, we have had two staff vacancies, the first in over a year. One of these staff members left, as she is expecting a baby momentarily; the other staff member left to pursue professional training in arly childhood development and has been accepted into the Washington Montessori Institute. Most of our current staff have been at the Center at least three years, some as many as eight years.
I know of no parents who have their children at the Center who are in agreement with the content of last week’s letter but “who will not sign their names because they are still dependent on Sursum Corda for child care.” Hog wash! There are other child care options for anyone who is in sympathy with such a letter, and I certainly credit all of our parents with the sensibility to pursue other options if they are dissatisfied with the Center.
Though the timing of this letter could not have been worse, I have welcomed this opportunity to once again reaffirm our commitment to caring for this county’s most valuable resource — its children. We do welcome the public’s response to our operating budget, which is published annually in the Rappahannock News. We welcome new families in Rappahannock, as well as those who have been here for many years. We welcome the rich and the poor, the average child, the gifted child, and the handicapped child. We have been, and will continue to try to be, sensitive to the needs of our parents and of the community — that’s why we’re here. And with the help of the community, we’ll continue to be here for many years to come!
CAMILLE HARRIS
Executive Director
The Child Care and
Learning Center
85.1%