A new daycare center is set to open in Hazard later this month. A local woman, Chassidy Woods, said if things go as planned, she will be opening the Childrenâs Cloud Daycare from her home in mid-March.
Woods said she had intended to be open by the beginning of March, but due to delays caused by the pandemic, that date was pushed to later this month.
âTime has been the biggest obstacle I have faced so far. With the pandemic happening, it has slowed down almost everything, taking a longer than expected time to open,â she said.
Woods said she is CPR and First Aid certified, and has had a lot of experience with childcare facilities. The goal of opening a daycare, she said, has been something she has wanted for several years.
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, several residents have faced hard times and food insecurity. Many groups, including the Hazard-Perry County Community Service Group, have stepped up and continued to provide for people in need, along with community partners. Becky Stacy, the administration and advocacy director of Appalachian Early Childhood Network, presented at the Feb. 24 Rotary Club meeting. During her presentation, Stacy told club members about her work with the Hazard-Perry County Community Service Group in hopes of gaining additional support.
âI taught kindergarten for many, many years. One of the things we made sure we did was try to teach them to have a heart for serving,â said Stacy, explaining that as a teacher, she had students fill Blessing Boxes in the community, raise donations for the Hope House Homeless Shelter and collect donations for care packages to give to patients at local medical facilities.
COVID Crisis Puts Spotlight on Home-Based Child Care wmky.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from wmky.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
FRANKFORT, Ky. Community advocates say home-based family child care could play a major role in closing gaps in access across Kentucky during the pandemic and beyond, but current zoning creates obstacles for individuals interested in opening licensed and regulated home child-care centers. In a recent survey conducted by Kentucky Youth Advocates, one in four current family child-care providers said local zoning protocols were a major barrier. .