Sunman‑Dearborn board approves employee‑only daycare at North Dearborn Elementary

The Sunman‑Dearborn Community School Corporation board voted to establish the Sunman‑Dearborn Family Daycare and Learning Center at North Dearborn Elementary for the 2026–27 school year.

Superintendent Dr. Jackson recommended the program as an employee benefit designed to attract and retain district staff. The board accepted a plan for a license‑exempt, district‑operated early learning program limited to children of Sunman‑Dearborn employees, with a proposed maximum enrollment of 46 children and six qualified staff members who will be CPR and first‑aid certified.

The district presented a staffing cost estimate of $260,000 if the program is fully implemented and staffed. Daily rates proposed in the presentation were $42 for infants, $38 for older toddlers and $35 for preschoolers; projected gross revenue at full capacity was described as roughly $320,000, leaving an estimated $60,000 to cover supplies and operating expenses. The board also heard that one‑time furnishings and setup costs are expected to be about $50,000. Enrollment will require a $100 deposit to hold a spot, refundable and applied to tuition.

Dr. Jackson told the board the program will follow local fire, health and district safety standards and the Indiana child care health and safety guidelines, and that staff ratios will meet state requirements for the stated ages. He said the program will operate as license‑exempt unless the district later chooses to accept state vouchers; the administration recommended not accepting vouchers initially and noted that many staff members likely would not qualify for vouchers.

Board members questioned qualifications and pay for the daycare staff; the presenter said positions will be posted and that pay will follow the district's instructional assistant pay schedule, with details to be included in the non‑certified handbook update expected in May or June. The site was chosen because North Dearborn requires minimal capital renovation (the only anticipated upfront expense cited was adding a handwashing sink in a diaper‑changing classroom, which the presenter said would be costly in other buildings).

A motion to approve the daycare plan was moved and seconded and passed with one board member voting against the measure. The board also approved a parent handbook for the program that outlines enrollment, hours, tuition, staffing, safe‑sleep training, illness and medication rules, nutrition and emergency procedures; that motion similarly passed with one opposed.

Next steps the board discussed include circulating registration materials to staff with an April 15 deadline for initial signups and returning the non‑certified pay schedule and handbook language for final placement in the personnel materials at an upcoming board meeting.