Finding Good Childcare a Priority for Parents

Aired March 17, 1999

This is INFOhio After Nine, I'm David C. Barnett, sending a top of the morning to you this 17th of March, St. Patrick's Day, 1999. We're going to be talking to some local musicians later this hour, a group called The Porter Sharks, who earn their trade playing Irish music. We'll hear a little bit about the local Irish music scene, traditional scene, but we start things off with the stories of people who are in their way trying to earn a trade, trying to make the transition from welfare to work. Yesterday, as a part of our series on "The Changing Face of Welfare," we explored the challenges of child care that are inherent in the system. Today, we put a real face on welfare reform. Making that transition from welfare to work means changing lives and habits. For many parents working their way to self-sufficiency, finding good child care is a priority. 90.3 correspondent Harry Boomer reports on one welfare mom's child care concerns.

Harry Boomer–Bonnie Newell lives on the east side of Cleveland on Harvard Ave. She is in training, learning skills so she can earn her own way and get off welfare, which she has been on for seven years. She has already succeeded in a couple of ways; getting in school and finding competent child care for 7-year-old Briana and for Kiana and Tiana, who will turn 5 and 6 years old, respectively, on March 22nd. They were born on the same day, one year and one hour apart.

Bonnie Newell–I get them up about 6:30, and then I wash them up. Most of the times they don't want me to help them because they think they're big girls, but you have to watch them, you know, make sure they brush their teeth. By this time it's about, maybe 7, they're dressed, their beds are made, they clean their own play room and they keep their own beds together-I might have to clean the house-and then, after that they'll sit in here and watch a little TV, then I'll go in there and I'll start perhaps getting myself washed up and everything. The day care van comes, the horn honks, I put them on the van, the day care takes my oldest daughter to school. She has to be at school at 8, so by the time I'm catching my bus to go to school, she's just getting to school. Tiana and Kiana go to the day care, they have their breakfast, then the day care takes Tiana, that's why I say you have to shop and get a good day care, I have a good one, and while I'm in school they take Tiana from the day care after she's had breakfast to school, which is Moses Cleveland. Then, when her day is over, I should say when Briana's day is over, because her day is over first, she gets out at, like, 2:30, and they pick her up-I have a bus now that takes her to the day care.

Kathleen Hall–I am the owner and the administrator and teacher and clean-up lady and fixer and psychologist and you name it.

HB–That's Kathleen Hall, owner of the Agape Day Care Center on E. 131st St. in Cleveland. She and her staff care for nearly 45 children, ages 21/2 to 10, including Newell's three girls. In order for Newell to get them enrolled at Agape, she had to get vouchers from the county. Newell says her vouchers were late this month. Kathleen Hall, owner of Agape Day Care.

KH–A lot of times the parents can't get their vouchers for whatever reason, they can't get downtown or it's a miscommunication or they can't get in touch with their worker because they work, and so a lot of times we'll be the liason and we'll call downtown and we'll ask the worker what's the problem with the voucher and can we help, can they send it to us because a lot of times parents are in transition with moves and the addresses are different and they may stay with their grandmother, but then sometimes they may have to reside at another place for a couple of weeks for whatever reason.

HB–Newell's housing situation is stable, and she praises her daughter's day care center, saying she could not make it without the services it offers.

BN–I needed something that would watch Kiana all day and still take care of my other two, they're school-agers, and then with me being on whether it's a 9-to-5 job or a 9-to-5 training program, I have to make sure that I have someone who's going to be your right hand, so to speak, and Agape took care of all of that, and then with me not having transportation, they provide transportation, so you have to let your caseworker know that also when you are going for your vouchers. You have let them know that you have transportation, they're flexible, they're willing to work with me, and then Agape takes them to Sesame Street, they just went to Sesame Street, and they went bowling and I want to go to Agape [laughs]. They just have a lot of good programs.

HB–Delois Lathon is the director at Agape. She says day care should be more than just a baby sitting service.

Delois Lathon–Even though they're children, they do have stressful days at school, so when they come here, they come her to relax, and they want to do things with us, and as Ms. Hall said we are the surrogate parents. They come to us , a lot of times we hear their complaints before their parents hear it.

HB–Speaking of complaints, Bonnie Newell has one.

BN–The only negative that I see is they don't carry the people long enough. Once you get a job, you report it, the caseworker evaluates it, the money scale determines it, OK, so you have to keep all that in mind when you're going to look for a job. You can't just settle for just a job, and then you have to keep in mind 90-day probations, it's not guaranteed that you're going to keep that job. That employer might not like you, and here your things have been interrupted, now you have to go through a whole drooling or just long-out process to get it back.

HB–Our next report focuses on job training and skills enhancement, as folks go from welfare to work. For INFOhio, I'm Harry Boomer in Cleveland.