Children’s Harbor Opening Soon, Dedication Postponed Due to Forecast Winter Storm

0
702
Work continues to ready the Children’s Harbor for children ages 6 weeks to 10 years. Photo by Connie Morrison.

By Carol Vaughn —

A new child care facility is coming to Accomack County.

Children’s Harbor Eastern Shore will be housed in a former restaurant at 20250 Fairgrounds Road near Onancock.

The building most recently was the location of Fairgrounds Restaurant.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony that was to have been held this week was postponed due to the winter storm.

Children’s Harbor is a nonprofit organization with four other centers in Hampton Roads.
The Children’s Harbor board of directors in April 2019 asked Wayne Bell Jr., of the Eastern Shore, to serve as interim chief executive officer.

Ann Williams, who serves as a consultant on the Eastern Shore project, soon after that came to Bell with the idea of opening a Children’s Harbor on the Shore, Bell said during a telephone interview Jan. 13.

“So I approached my board and said, ‘Hey, I’m a resident of the Eastern Shore, so I love that area. They are in need of child care and I want to be able to give back — and I think it fits into Children’s Harbor’s mission,” Bell said.

The board gave the go ahead to pursue the idea, but indicated financial resources likely would have to come from outside the organization.

Williams was very instrumental in working to find funds to make the facility a reality, according to Bell.

“She knew that there was a need. She reached out to the political powers,” including Sen. Lynwood Lewis and Del. Rob Bloxom.

Conversations at the state level resulted in then-Gov. Ralph Northam including $250,000 for the Eastern Shore center in the state budget, a measure the General Assembly approved.

“That’s what really catapulted us to be able to secure the facility,” said Bell.

The former restaurant was selected in part because it already had adequate parking and was close to several major employers, according to Bell.

The cost to get the center up and running is nearly $500,000, according to Bell, who said the playground alone cost more than $90,000.

In addition to the state funding, funds have been given to the project by the Perdue Foundation, the Eastern Shore of Virginia Community Foundation, and individual donors, according to Bell.

The organization also is hoping to qualify for a grant through a new Accomack County program.

The Accomack County Board of Supervisors last fall identified child care as one of its three priorities for spending the first of two installments of federal funds coming to the county as result of the American Rescue Plan Act.

The board set aside $600,000 of the first, $3.1 million installment to expand child care in the county.

Children’s Harbor plans to apply for a grant to help with costs associated with its new facility.

Guidelines for the county’s child care startup and expansion grant program were approved by the board of supervisors at the board’s Jan. 19 meeting, meaning grant applications will be available on the county website Jan. 28 and awards will be made in April.

The  maximum award per applicant is $150,000.

The organization’s goal is to open Children’s Harbor Eastern Shore sometime in late February, but the opening date will depend on how long it takes to obtain required licensure and other approvals, according to Bell.

The center has classrooms for infants (6 weeks to 12 months), waddlers (ages 12 to 15 months), toddlers (16 to 24 months), two-year-olds, three-year-olds (also called preschool), four-year-olds (or Pre-K), and school-age children (ages 5 to 10).

At capacity, the center will be able to serve between 80 and 100 children, as determined by licensure.

Trina Cooper, Eastern Shore center director, said the center already has around 47 children on its waiting list and more than a dozen already have paid the registration fee.

“Our infant room is already full, so we are entertaining opening up a second infant room,” Bell said.

Cooper, who earned a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in educational leadership from Wilmington University, has experience as a center director in Delaware and as an administrator for a Christian school in Georgia.

In addition to Cooper, the center has two assistant directors and each class will have a lead teacher and another teacher. Along with cooks and custodial staff, the center likely will employ around 18 to 19 people.

Children’s Harbor uses the Frog Street curriculum, Bell said.

“What’s very important to understand about Children’s Harbor is, we don’t consider ourselves day care. We’re actually an early childhood care education facility,” he said.

The curriculum guides teachers on how to adequately train the children to meet the appropriate milestones before they enter kindergarten, Bell said.

Staff are trained in first-aid and CPR certified.

Bell also spoke about security measures at the center, including security cameras, a buzz-in system at the entrance, and a secure outside playground.

Children will be served breakfast, lunch, and a snack, and infants will be provided formula, according to Bell.

To fill out an application for either employment or child care, go to www.childrensharbor.cc and search for the Eastern Shore center. Click on the link for the application desired.

Donations to Children’s Harbor are tax deductible.

Previous articleNorthampton and Accomack Counties Under Winter Storm Warning
Next articleRandom Facts About … Where the Sun Apparently DOES Shine