Murphy – A Waynesville child-care provider will be stepping in to fill the gap when Southwestern Child Centers closes its local facility at the end of the month.
“Today, we are pleased to announce that Nicole Smith, who operates Eagle’s Nest Early Learning Center in Waynesville, has agreed to take over operations at the current Southwestern Child Development facility in Murphy,” Cherokee County government announced in a release on Sept. 24. “Local officials are working with Eagle’s Nest to expedite licensing and inspection issues.”
Officials expect no interruption in child-care service at the Murphy location.
On Oct. 16, Southwestern Child Development announced it was closing day-care facilities in western North Carolina, including one in Murphy, after Oct. 31, leaving nearly 50 children from working families without child care. Local agencies and Cherokee County government immediately began searching for a solution to aid affected families.
For the moment, families are being directed to Eagle’s Nest Early Learning Center’s website at eaglesnestchildcare.org and on the Eagle’s Nest Early Learning Center & Preschool Facebook page for details. Eagle’s Nest Early Learning Center & Preschool is a 5-star, state-licensed child care facility, according to its website.
“We believe that child care should establish the skills and talents necessary for each child to reach their full potential while feeling loved and supported,” according to its “about us” section of the website. “Our teaching reflects a high regard for each child’s uniqueness with respect and understanding of societal differences and cultural diversity.
“We embrace a play-based learning environment that offers children the opportunity to discover the world around them through hands-on everyday experiences. Group instruction times and special activities are offered daily, however participation is completely optional for each child.”
Families and social service professionals were left scrambling for solutions with the impending closure of a significant day-care service in Murphy.
Southwestern Child Care Centers announced its closure of the Murphy facility effective Oct. 31, along with several other centers in western North Carolina. Letters were sent to parents on Oct. 16, and Southwestern Child Development Commission Executive Director Sheila Hoyle sent out a release on Oct. 20.
“Our centers serve high numbers of children who are eligible for N.C.’s Subsidized Child Care Program,” Hoyle said. “Reimbursement policies from the N.C. Division of Child Development & Early Education have required that our agency supplement the state rate in order to keep these child-care centers open. We no longer have adequate agency resources to supplement the state rate.”
Other services offered by the agency are not impacted, she said.
Early childhood education has historically been under funded. The state has a funding formula that penalizes small rural counties in the amount of reimbursement that comes from the state, according to information from the Southwestern Child Development Commission.
For instance, Wake County gets $1,417 per child per month. Clay County gets $897 per month per child.
The state argues that it costs more to provide day care in large, populous counties. The Southwestern Child Development Commission has been arguing this for years until a couple of years ago, when the General Assembly funded a study to prove this funding formula was correct. The study found that in fact it cost more to provide day care in small rural counties than in large counties.
The roots of Southwestern Child Development are to provide child care in seven western North Carolina counties. In many counties, it was the only day-care provider for many years.
“We are devastated at having to close our day-care operation. We are deeply sorry for that and apologize for the abruptness of this. On the positive side, we are beginning to see our communities step up and begin to fill in this gap in day-care services,” Hoyle said.
“We are prepared to lend our expertise to help theses community resources take over day-care services in all counties. We are hopeful that eventually families will have more choices for day-care than before.”
N.C. Rep. Karl Gillespie (R-Franklin) said he was deeply concerned about the “abrupt and untimely announcement” of Southwestern Child Development Commission’s looming day-care closures in Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Haywood and Jackson counties.
“I was unaware of the impending closures until late last week when constituents began contacting my office,” he said in a statement. “The closure of these essential services poses a significant challenge to our community, affecting not only working families, but also the economic stability of the district. Reliable child care plays a crucial role in the lives of our residents, allowing parents and guardians to work, pursue education and ensure the overall welfare of their children.
“Alongside my colleague, Sen. Kevin Corbin, we are committed to addressing this issue head-on and are actively working with all concerned parties, both at the local and state levels, to find viable and sustainable solutions.”
The N.C. Department of Health & Human Services told Gillespie it does not have any funds that can help Southwestern Child Development stay open.