H-BC parental interest brings after-school child care back

An after-school child care option returns to Hills-Beaver Creek Elementary this fall.
The H-BC School Board approved hiring a director and an assistant at their June 14 meeting.
Hourly rates were set at $25 per hour for the director and $20 per hour for the assistant.
The director will work with school officials to develop enrichment activities and tailor events as an extension of the school day.
With the two adult hires, the program will immediately accept 20 students and hire additional staff as demand grows.
“We’re starting small and working larger,” said Superintendent Todd Holthaus.
The yet-to-be-named program in Beaver Creek is open to the school’s kindergarten through fifth-grade students at a cost of $10 per student per day.
The program will operate only during the school year and will not be open during early outs, holidays, in-service or snow days.
Program hours will be after school until 5:30 p.m.
As the program begins, officials anticipate operating at a deficit, possibly losing $12,000 in its first year.
The district last operated an after-school child care program about eight years ago.
Enrollment opens in late August ahead of the opening of the 2021-22 school year on Sept. 7.
 
Survey reveals need for child care
Hills-Beaver Creek school officials surveyed elementary families about after-school child care options this spring.
More than half of the 66 responses indicated an interest in an after-school child care program. The majority (35 percent) of those interested had first-grade students.
In other survey findings:
•Participants would use the after-school child care at least twice a week. Twenty-eight percent indicated they would use the program five days a week.
•Cost was cited as the biggest factor that may prevent families from enrolling their children in the school’s after-school program.
•Respondents indicated that the program should focus on interaction and socialization activities (66 percent) and recreation and outdoor play (55 percent).
•Most supported paying $50 single-child/five-days-week rate (41 percent) and the same percentage of parents supported the $15 per day.
•The majority of the respondents (79 percent) agreed with picking up their children no later than 5:30 p.m.