The Putney Community & Childcare Center

Imagine a typical morning; the alarm clock starts blaring and you’re instantly on the go. Get up, wrangle the kids to the backdrop of the dog barking at the mailman as the smell of burnt coffee wafts through the air. You somehow manage to feed the screaming baby while only getting a few splatters on your work clothes, and you’re ready to race out the door when your cell phone rings. Bad news: your daycare provider is sick so you’ve got nowhere to take the kids. Time to call out of work. You wince as you dial, knowing that you’re running low on sick days and your boss is not going to be happy. But what else can you do?

This is just the best-case scenario for many parents. What about those who don’t have paid sick leave? Or even worse, those who can’t find any openings in childcare to begin with? How do they return to the workforce so that they can pay the bills? The current lack of childcare has become a national problem, and our small town is no exception. Parents need affordable options for quality childcare in the towns in which they live. This not only applies to those under five who aren’t yet old enough for traditional public school, but also those whose parents need to work beyond the end of the traditional school day.

That’s where the community center comes in to help. Not only will my center provide quality, affordable childcare, it will also act as a center for children to thrive in after care, with creative and dynamic opportunities to grow and flourish.