A daycare center for public school teachers shouldn’t be anything near revolutionary, but the fact that it is makes for a sorry statement about some aspects of the society we’ve created here in this country.

Haywood County school officials have teamed up with the Southwestern Child Development Commission to open the Hazelwood Early Care and Education Center at the old Hazelwood school. The center, which will have space for 150 children, officially opened Aug. 1.

The idea for the center came from school officials. They have been trying to find creative ways to stay ahead in the area of teacher recruitment and retention. The country and state are facing an impending teacher shortage that is making finding good teachers more difficult each year. In addition to the shortage, Haywood’s teacher supplement is relatively small. Taken together, these factors have struck fear in the hearts of those whose job it is to fill classrooms with qualified and outstanding teachers.

So school officials in Haywood County have been working. They have teamed up with business leaders to get their input and have discussed putting together a package of financial incentives with the help of those local businesses.

Nothing, though, is more important for working families than daycare. And in Western North Carolina, it isn’t just cost that is a concern. No, perhaps a bigger and more daunting challenge for parents is quality. Certified centers are rare and they usually have long waiting lists. So this new center, which will also be open to the community at large, will be a welcome addition.

The truth is that the teaching profession is dominated by women, yet North Carolina and other states are far behind in providing the kinds of benefits that encourage mothers to stay at home with their young children. In fact, many teachers who are dependent on the income from their jobs must go back to work only a few weeks after giving birth. This daycare center won’t change that, but at least it shows that there is a recognition of the needs of working mothers.

There will be some criticism from those who say mothers should stay home with their children, that the financial sacrifice will pay dividends. But many women want to return to the workplace, while for others there is no other way to make ends meet.

In more ways than one, this new center is important. It shows a shift in mindset while also providing a direct, real benefit for school employees. Schools officials have taken a substantive step toward making Haywood County a better school system.

 

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The Smoky Mountain News