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Board approves district daycare program to help staff with infant/toddler care
Summary
Trustees approved 'Bruin Beginnings,' a district-run daycare for employees’ infants and toddlers, proposing roughly 7:15 a.m.–3:45 p.m. hours and a target fee of $30 per day; administrators said startup costs of about $8,000 will be sought through the Blackford County Foundation.
The Blackford County Schools board voted unanimously to approve plans for a district-operated daycare, dubbed Bruin Beginnings, intended primarily to serve infants and toddlers of district employees and, if space allows, staff grandchildren.
Administrators told trustees they surveyed employees and found promising interest. The program would operate on the school year calendar (185 days) and would not be open during spring break; proposed daily hours were approximately 7:15 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. The administration cited a target fee of about $30 per child per day and said startup costs of roughly $8,000 have been identified and will be pursued through the Blackford County Foundation; if the foundation does not fund startup costs, the district would absorb initial costs until the program is stable.
Officials said the planned space is an existing classroom with an external door to meet fire-marshal requirements; staffing ratios were discussed (roughly 5:1 for infants). Administrators also described opportunities for district students in early-childhood programs to earn practicum hours through work with the daycare and preschool.
Trustees moved to approve proceeding with the program; the motion passed 5–0. Administrators will finalize enrollment targets, staffing plans, fee structures and required licensing steps before implementation.
