Pre-K, after-school programs return to Newfield

Bridgett Nugent moved to Newfield in 2019. Since that time, she has been driving over the hill to Trumansburg every morning before going to work in Ithaca and making the trek in reverse every evening. Why? Because, in her words, “when you find a child care provider that you love and trust, it is like gold.”

Nugent was excited when she learned that Newfield Central School will be offering pre-K for her soon-to-be 4-year-old daughter this September, but what about her 5-month-old? And what about the “gap hours” after school ends until she gets out of work? She contacted the only two registered child care providers in Newfield who are listed on the Office of Children and Family Services website. Neither one had a slot available for her.

“I was fully aware of the child care crisis across the country. In my position with Tompkins County Youth Services, I know that as a society, we lack adequate support for working families,” Nugent said. “I hear about it every day in my professional life, but now I’m feeling it personally. I’m in the same boat as many other parents.”

There is some good news to report, especially for parents of school-age children who have been scrambling to secure care after the elementary day ends at 2:15 p.m. The Newfield Board of Education, at its Aug. 2 meeting, voted to approve an on-site after-school program to be run by the YMCA. The program will run until 5:30 p.m. on school days for a weekly fee of $130 per child. While the school will provide space, the YMCA will be responsible for program structure, staffing and supplies.

Superintendent Eric Hartz told the Board that this would be a one-year trial run.

“This is a way to provide a needed service to the community, while alleviating the pressure of administering an after-school program on our reduced staff,” Hartz said. “I have gotten rave reviews from other districts who have contracted with the Y. My own daughter attended a similar program in Groton many years ago, and it’s still going on.”

If cost is a concern, the YMCA accepts direct payments from the Tompkins County Department of Social Services for qualifying individuals and offers some limited scholarships in emergency situations.

Hartz also confirmed that Newfield’s universal pre-K program for 4-year-olds is back after a one-year hiatus due to the lack of timely state grant information. This full-day program is free to families and staffed by teachers certified in early childhood education.

“We are excited to bring pre-K back,” Hartz said. “We currently have 30 kids signed up, enough for two classrooms, but we’ll increase that if enrollment warrants.”

Hartz did not rule out the return of the before-school program or TLC nursery school in the future but said it would likely not happen this year.

Parents of younger children, ages 6 weeks to 4 years, may not be aware that there are three center-based Head Start programs in Tompkins County. Located in Ithaca, these all-day programs are available free of charge to all county residents who meet the federal poverty guidelines.

Michelle Blodgett, family services director at Tompkins Community Action, said that Head Start is much more than just child care.

“There are some misconceptions about what Head Start is,” Blodgett said. “We offer a fantastic program that includes active learning, social, emotional and outdoor play. Our well-trained staff implement curriculum, and parents are given numerous opportunities to participate.”

Applications for Head Start are available on the Tompkins Community Action website, but don’t wait. Slots tend to fill up quickly as there are not enough openings to fill the demand.

Molly McGriff, director of child care resource and referral at the Child Development Council, confirmed that there is a dearth of child care in Tompkins County.

“We have regulated spots for about 1 in 4 preschool-age children in the county,” McGriff said. “Of course, we know there is a lot of informal care going on that is not regulated or tracked in any way. That includes care by a family member, groups of less than three children or care that takes place in a child’s own home.”

The Child Development Council runs a referral service to help match up parents and providers, but it can be challenging when there are not enough spaces to fill the need. The list they use comes from the NYS Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS), a state agency that certifies providers that meet safety and quality standards.

“I would encourage people to consider opening a business as a home-based provider,” McGriff said. “We help people through the process of getting registered, filling out the paperwork and meeting the requirements.”

Mindy Moseley runs one of the two licensed day care centers within the Newfield School District boundaries that appear on the OCFS list. She believes that there are benefits that come with being registered, including the ability to write off food and other business expenses, but also the peace of mind that comes with knowing she is doing everything possible to maintain the safety of children in her care.

Moseley would like to see more providers in the area get registered and said she would personally help anyone who had questions about the process.

“It’s not that difficult, but it is time consuming,” Moseley said. “And I’m definitely not afraid of the competition. I receive two to three calls from parents per week, and I have to turn them away. It’s really sad because I don’t know where to send them, especially for infant care.”

Moseley’s program is certified as a Group Family Daycare. She works with her daughter Noele, a second adult caregiver, and therefore can accept up to 14 children. Of those, 12 can be preschoolers including four infants under 2 years of age.

“Recently, I had a couple who told me they were pregnant before they told their own families,” Moseley said. “They wanted to reserve a spot for their child as soon as possible.”

That child is now 7 months old and just came off the waiting list.

For more information about these programs and other resources, contact Newfield Central School at (607) 564-9955 or newfieldschools.org; YMCA at (607) 257-0101 or ithacaymca.com/sacc.html; or Tompkins Community Action at (607) 273-8816 or tcaction.org.

For more information about the Child Development Council of Tompkins County, call (607) 273-0259 or visit childdevelopmentcouncil.org. Visit the Office of Children and Family Services, website at ocfs.ny.gov.