Guilford Center for Children Continues to Make Adjustments to Offer Childcare to Families
The Guilford Center for Children (GCC), a non-profit that provides early education and before- and after-school care, has continued to adjust its schedule, and its licensing, to meet the needs of Guilford families throughout the fluctuating schedules due to the pandemic. Guilford schools started the year virtually but have since adjusted to a hybrid schedule.
With students originally returning to school online, many families were scrambling to find childcare. GCC, which operates out of Guilford Public Schools but is not run by GPS, worked with the town and the schools to fill the need.
Jess Catlin, director of GCC, worked with Superintendent of Schools Dr. Paul Freeman and First Selectman Matt Hoey to secure spaces to offer a full-day program. While GCC normally operates out of Calvin Leete, Cox, and Guilford Lakes, it needed alternate locations to use when school was not in session. The group also worked with the Office of Early Childhood Education in order to meet guidelines about requirements for room sizes, spacing, and the number of students in a classroom.
“We worked to offer a positive resolution for the community’s childcare needs and were able to secure space at the Greene Community Center and the First Congregational Church to hold a distance learning full-day childcare program,” said Catlin. “Normally the licensing process takes months, but with the help of many different parties involved, we were able to get them licensed in just under a month.
“We have to extend huge thanks to the Community Center and the church for sharing locations with us to implement this program,” added Catlin. “Without them, we couldn’t offer this to these families.”
During the first six weeks of school, GCC operated on a full-day, full-week schedule. Now that students have returned to the classroom four days a week, GCC is holding before- and after-school care on those days, serving 115 families to include 149 children. GCC also holds full-day learning on Wednesdays when the students are learning virtually.
The Wednesday program is currently at capacity with 63 students, but those interested can join a waitlist.
GCC is currently looking to hire more staff so that it can accept more students as it maintains a 1:10 teacher to student ratio. GCC is seeking employees to work the full-day 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. program as well as those for before- and after-care with a split shift of 7 to 9 a.m. and 3 to 6 p.m.
“Any background in education is great and experience in working with children is a huge plus,” said Catlin. “We’ve had college kids with us in the past and the students love having that younger vibe.”
When it comes to the full-day program, GCC focuses on the students and their virtual work. Students are divided into cohorts with a goal of keeping students from the same school, grade, and family together.
“They go to their assigned classroom with their assigned teacher and take out their Chromebooks or iPads,” said Catlin. “The teachers look at their schedules for the day, when they have Zoom meetings, and what assignments are due and the staff assists students throughout the day.”
In addition to schoolwork, there is time for students to socialize or relax, such as spending time outside or doing activities. Catlin has enjoyed watching the kids reconnect with each other.
With numbers constantly fluctuating, Catlin and the GCC are ready to make adjustments to serve the community’s needs. She noted that tuition assistance and scholarships are available and that anyone thinks a childcare need may arise should fill out an application.
“If you think you may need care, we always suggest you reach out and get an application in so we have everything we need to get you enrolled as soon as possible,” said Catlin. “If they go back full-time, we’ll continue to offer the before- and after-school program, but if they go hybrid or distance, the goal is to be able to provide our services for the families of this town. Being able to support the families is a mutual goal of our program, the town, and Guilford Public Schools.”
Catlin is not only thankful to representatives from the school district and the town, but local organizations as well. She noted that groups such as the Guilford Community Fund, the Guilford Foundation, and the Guilford Human Services Council have all supported the program.
“I can’t say enough about the implementation of this program. It really exemplifies the true spirit of Guilford with the community coming together to support the common goal of supporting families,” said Catlin. “One of our goals as an organization is to be able to provide care to all families regardless of their financial situations, which coming back from a three-plus-month shutdown, the needs are higher than usual. We want to make sure they have childcare while also having the students’ schoolwork completed. We are grateful for the funding we’ve received from local organizations as it’s helped us to continue to meet our goal of providing this needed service to families in the community.”
For information, call 203-453-0045 or email guilfordbasc@gmail.com.