Publisher’s note: “On a Positive Note” is a new feature on the Cherokee Scout’s opinions page set aside to give credit where it’s due, offer pats on the back and praise those who are doing praiseworthy things. If you have someone or something you’d like to recommend, email dbrown@cherokeescout.com.
The Oct. 25 edition of the Cherokee Scout had headlines that struck fear in the hearts of many parents – “Families hurt by day-care closures: Lack of funding leads to a crisis” – due to Southwestern Child-Care Centers closing across western North Carolina. While the operator of Eagle’s Nest Early Learning Center agreed to take over operations and keep the doors open, far too many people still didn’t have an affordable place to take their children for day care.
Thankfully, First United Methodist Church in Murphy, which has long had a heart for community service, is tackling the child-care shortage in Cherokee County with a new initiative. The focus is on increasing licensed family child-care homes in the county, which has been identified as a “child-care desert.”
The church hosted an information session Tuesday night to encourage local residents to start family or home-based child-care homes. A Southwestern Child-Care Center expert shared valuable information, and Tri-County Community College’s Small Business Center was on hand to offer guidance.
In the coming months, the church plans to open a Children’s Center to care for youngsters part time and give them an opportunity to master the necessary skills for kindergarten success. Leaders wants an environment that encourages and is social, interactive and fun, while enabling children to make advancements in problem-solving, implement language in learning and learn collaborative social skills.
The initiative, which is being funded by a multi-year grant from the N.C. Rural Center, is another great example of the kind of private-public partnerships that are desperately needed to tackle the vast array of needs today in Cherokee and surrounding counties.
To our compassionate friends at First United Methodist Church, thank you for caring enough to take a leading role in this important endeavor.
– Publisher David Brown