Page 17 - HC B2B Fall20

CHILDCARE CRISIS
PLEASE HELP US SLOW THE SPREAD OF COVID-19
WEAR A MASK
Continued on page 18
•••
By McKinley Winkle
While COVID has had a significant impact on our economy, especially small businesses, the pandemic has affected the childcare industry as a whole and
has altered how their facilities operate. After talking with Rachel Supalla, owner of Discover KidZone in Montana City and Clancy, we received more insight on the impact of childcare in our own community.
Discovery KidZone has three separate locations including out by Clancy School, and two off HWY 282 right after the roundabout in Montana City. Their newest building opened the first day of phase two which launched June 1st of this year.
How is Discovery Kid Zone keeping up with the increasing demand of childcare?
Childcare is consistently in high demand and since COVID, there has been increased demand, even with some parents working from home. While DKZ had a waitlist before their new building, they have accrued a waitlist for this location as well but have been fortunate enough to grow with their needs and match supply and demand to the best
of their abilities. As of now, the biggest demand for DKZ is with 2-year-olds along with infants who are always a highly
sought after age group. There are 48 infants in the new building, excluding the other two locations, and a total of 250-280 kids throughout all three sites.
While their group of kids has continued to grow, Discovery Kid Zone has been faced with a lack of workers. the way that their workforce is structured is with an ongoing substitute teacher list. Those employees on the sub list fill in for full-time workers and eventually move their way into full time. As of recent, they have thankfully become fully staffed and are on their way to rebuilding their subs list.
How does Discovery Kid Zone accommodate families who need child- care, but may not have the funds?
Discovery Kid Zone considers themselves to be medially priced. They want to show that they are quality childcare but also remain affordable for families. They have programs available for those who may need extra assistance, which are offered based on income. These programs supply scholarships and function as “gap filling” funds.
How is Discovery KidZone responding to the pandemic?
“COVID has helped us focus on
what’s important,” says Rachel. When everything shut down in March, Discovery Kid Zone made the switch to virtual preschool in a matter of a week. They wanted to keep the kids engaged in learning and give them something to look forward to during the day. During this process, Rachel kept her whole team on staff and made a point to keep them on track for when they returned to full capac- ity. At the beginning of the pandemic, DKZ stayed open but reduced to 30% capacity, but is now back to full capacity. Rachel and her team are thankful for the government funding that was awarded to childcare facilities, as it helped to keep their business alive and well and to help families the best they could.
With Elementary school starting, Discovery Kid Zone quickly adapted and
MAINTAIN SOCIAL DISTANCE (AT LEAST 6 FT. APART)
WASH YOUR HANDS & USE HAND SANITIZER
AVOID TOUCHING YOUR FACE
COVER COUGHS & SNEEZES
SAFETY FIRST, ADVENTURE SECOND
SAFETY FIRST,
FALL 2020 B2B - A Publication of the Helena Area Chamber of Commerce 17
ADVENTURE SECOND.