By: Betty Gandee
It is no surprise that COVID-19 has hindered a lot of business owners, making it even more difficult to keep doors open. Sadly, the only daycare in the Clay area has closed its doors permanently, as announced on Wednesday, August 5. Kiddie Patch Daycare will no longer be in business.
The board, owner, and employees decided that due to past years of being unable to keep enrollment consistent and the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a lot of uncertainty in operating the daycare.
However, the closure is not due to COVID-19 alone. Stephanie Adkins stated that with such low enrollment, they couldn’t afford the extra staff to abide by the pandemic’s additional precautions. The building is also not suitable for a child care facility, being as old as it is with little to no upkeep, and being closed for the past five months has made those problems significantly worse.
Kiddie Patch was a wonderful, safe place to send children, and in Stephanie’s three years of working there she saw it bloom into a quality early learning facility rather than a babysitting service. Adkins says, “I appreciate my staff, the families, and all of our community support more than you know.”
Adkins urges anyone who has a heart for children to become a licensed in-home provider and asks that anyone wanting to do so to contact her to discuss the appropriate steps to follow. This is a good way to make extra income and help out the community.