Danville schools are exploring the possibility of offering child care for employees

A survey unveiled earlier this year found child care is an urgent need in the Dan River region. This goes beyond just finding a place to look after the little ones and also has a direct impact on staff development.

“This is not just a health and human services issue,” Beth Doughty, senior fellow at the Partnership for Regional Prosperity, told the Danville School Board at Thursday’s meeting. “It’s an economic problem.”

Virginia Tech research found that 810 children in the area — 410 in Danville alone — needed child care but had no place to turn.

Workers would have to give up their jobs to care for young children, Doughty said of the data presented. About a third had to reduce working hours and others declined promotions because of a lack of child care facilities.

The partnership is a kind of regional think tank. A key topic for the group was childcare.

“It is difficult for employers to attract and retain workers,” she said of the numbers.

“We are not trying to get into the child care business,” Danville Public Schools Superintendent Angela Hairston emphasized, but rather described it as providing space to operate a child care business.

A kindergarten hallway at Johnson Elementary School would be an “ideal” location, she said. The school will eventually be demolished because a new Arnett Hill Elementary School will be built in its place.

The first step is to survey employees to determine if there is a need. If so, the Center for Early Success will work with the school system to obtain grants and issue a request for proposals for a company to operate the child care center.

“This would give our employees the opportunity to receive quality child care and not have to worry about a waiting list,” Hairston said.

Workers would likely pay market price for the service.

“It would be a shame to demolish part of a facility that we could use,” the superintendent said.

The service is expected to begin in August and will accommodate 126 students. A principal, a deputy principal and 17 teachers would occupy approximately nine rooms of today’s kindergarten space.

Although there is no daycare there, the school will remain open and serve as a temporary home for Forest Hills Elementary while renovations begin there.

Since Philip Campbell was absent, the other board members present unanimously agreed to initiate proceedings.