Conference moira::parenting

    I'm not sure what exactly you are looking for advise on, but the real
    bottom line here is, if she doesn't have the agreements, i.e "ample
    notice to move" in *writing* then she doesn't probably doesn't have a
    legal leg to stand on.
    
    Secondly, if she if moving a *licensed* day care facility, she MUST
    have the new location re-certified by the Comm of MA.  This process
    alone may take up to 30 days to complete.  NO child can be care for if
    her license is not valid for the NEW address.  This I learned first
    hand from a previous provider who moved to a new home.  Fortunately her
    inspection coordinated with the move date, so she wasn't unlicensed.
    
    I know this is probably the news you wanted to hear, but unfortunately
    I've discovered that as far as our fine Commonwealth, and daycare
    issues  go, there isn't much flexibility.  I think you may want to look
    at a new, even if it's only temporary, daycare situation.  Unless you
    were planning on taking vacation until your provider establishes a new
    location and license.
    
    Perhaps a call to the Worcester OFC could help you, they have offered
    me some very valuable advise on previous situation in the past.
    
    Lyn

    I believe you are correct regarding having the notification time in
    writing (it's not...I think she was relying on small-town good
    will.....another bad business decision in my estimation).  She is also
    working quite closely with her OFC representative who has promised that
    they will expedite her relocation/relicensing when she gets a new
    location. So, she's doing the right thing there. My real problem is
    that I expect my daycare requirements will change when the school year
    starts and I'm trying to decide if I should pull the kids out now and
    switch to a new place (subjecting them to another transition) or assume
    that the eviction process will take a long time (and then she'll have a
    replacement location set up and/or my daycare requirements will have
    changed). It's highly likely that I'll need no care for the kids
    starting the 3rd week in August.

It seems to me that you need to look at a worst case scenario.  Suppose that 
she is evicted at the end of June, and has no new place to move to.  What 
would you do then?  Would you be able to take vacation time to look for a new 
daycare?  Do you have relatives or neighbors who you might persuade to 
prevail upon?  How important is it to you that your changeover is "planned"? 
 How do(es) your child(ren) react to changes?  Also, I don't recall how old 
your children are; there may be alternatives, such as summer day camps, if 
they are old enough.  Could you patch something together for the six or seven 
weeks that you'd need daycare?

It's hard to say whether the worst case scenario is also the most probable.  
For example, if it's a local bank that depends on local business, and if the 
daycare center operator plays it smart, like, for example making the local 
newspaper aware of her plight, it would be real tough for the bank to kick 
her out.  It would also make a difference if the bank wants her out because 
they already have a prospective tenant, or because they want to start looking 
for a more suitable tenant.  In the former case, they might be more likely to 
play hardball, while in the latter case, the timeframe they gave may have 
been more pro forma than real, and there may be some flexibility.

Clay

    My kids are 2 1/2 yrs. and 3 mo., so options other than a daycare
    situation are pretty limited....What I have done already is I've found
    2 places that currently have openings for both age groups. What we are
    struggling with now is do we make the move or wait it out? Worst case
    is no daycare after June 30 at the current place and both places that I
    found get filled up between then and now. Best case is that the daycare
    stays open until a suitable place is found or a reasonable timeframe
    has expired. My guess is most likely she'll be able to stay open past
    June 30, but not long (and probably before my daycare needs expire).
    
    NOTE: the center is publicizing what's happening and the bank wants to
    help mediate a solution. But, they really want to sell the building and
    it's the developer who has a new tenant for the other end of the
    building (not the daycare space). It's the new tenant's business that is 
    incompatible with a daycare nearby. 
    
    Being a 'planner', I am tempted to switch now and let my kids deals with 
    the transition. My husband (who is generally much more comfortable dealing
    with change) seems to want to wait it out. (The kids haven't been in
    daycare before, so I'm not so sure how they'll deal with it. My older
    daughter loves 'school', but has had some transition issues...new
    rules, etc.) I have about 3 weeks vacation saved up and my in-laws are 
    local, so we might be able to work something out, but the uncertainty and 
    unfairness to the kids/in-laws etc. is bothering me. Also, having just
    returned to work after baby #2, I'm reluctant to be 'away' again in
    this environment.
    
    When we were looking for daycare, we didn't discuss the fact that it
    might only be for the summer, because if it worked out, we were
    considering keeping the kids there on a (lesser) part-time basis (they only
    go 3 days/weeks now). If we had to find care for only 1/2 the summer, 
    I'd feel it necessary to be upfront about this with a new provider.
    Anyone have any problem with relatively temporary care?

    Lisa,
    
    Check with the placement agency i.e. Child Care Connection or whoever 
    your georgraphy is attached to.  Lots are daycare facilities advertise
    "emergency" or "drop in" space available.  Lots of centers may have
    room for the summer, simply because many parents take the children out
    for the summer.
    
    I have used AJ's preschool (right Tracey?) several times for one day or
    one week at a time, because I needed someone right now, and my regular
    providor wasn't available, or it was the THIRD no school for snow day,
    and I just couldn't afford any more time off.  AJ will likely be
    returing to the preschool this summer.  I just like their program, it's
    infant to first grade, and he like the place and their staff.  I like
    my home provider, and she's fine for a couple hours a day after school,
    but on a full time full day basis, a hot summer and she's NOT opening
    her pool to the kids this summer, it just seems a logical move.
    
    Lyn

Lisa, I have been following your note on the Harvard daycare situation.  I put a
deposit down last march for my daughter to attend this day care in September.
We are in the process of building in Harvard and I needed after school care.
As it stands now we will not need the child care in September but I was hoping 
their situation of moving would be resolved.  Do you have any updates?  Is
there anyone in the town helping them.  Harvard is a small town and the day care i
is very limited.  When I checked the Digital child care resources they had only 
2 home care people registered and 2 day care centers.  The Harvard Academy seem
to be the best choice.  If there are any updates I would appreciate hearing from
you.  Thanks, MaryAnn

    Re. -1...
    
    Well, the latest that I have heard is that the daycare is working
    closely with the local church to get a long-term lease (and addition)
    on their Fellowship building. My understanding is that they don't plan
    to move until a new location is ready and licensed. Stay tuned as I
    expect there to be lots more updates this week and next.  

    Well, several folks have contacted me off-line on this, so I thought
    I'd post an update. 
    
    As I said in a previous note, I did, at least, investigate other places
    as options for my kids in case the current daycare closed. Given the
    current situation at the daycare (see below), I decided to leave the
    kids where they are and wait it out.
    
    The director has lined up a place to move to and is currently getting
    permits, etc. So, that's going well.
    
    I also found out that the original notice was from the Bank 
    (who was then and still is the owner of the property). This was a 
    'quit work' (?) notice. From the daycare director's description, this 
    just says that she has to quit work or in 30 days they will start eviction
    proceedings. I guess they are then supposed to issue a 'recinding' order  
    and then follow with an eviction notice (neither of which has been done 
    by the bank). I venture to guess that the reasoning is that papers haven't
    been passed yet (or so I've been told by the daycare director), so the bank
    may want to keep their current tenant (the daycare) as long as possible. 
    There has been lots of publicity about this and I suppose there might be 
    some possibility the deal could fall through with the new owner (wishful 
    thinking, maybe, on my part?...but I do know that the new owner wants to 
    sublet to a light manufacturing company that uses flammable liquids in 
    their process and there are lots of fire safety issues to be dealt with...
    especially a concern in a town with a volunteer fire department...so,
    maybe it's not just wishful thinking) .  
    
    Also, the daycare just got an eviction notice from the owner-to-be. 
    But, he's not an owner or a tenant at this point...doesn't have any
    legal standing. I expect the court to 'throw' the case out on these 
    grounds....we'll see. 
    
    Anyway, my gut feeling is that this will drag on til at least the time 
    that the daycare has a suitable alternate location. Time will tell.

As some folks know, HCA has been evicted from its building by the new owner who
wants to use it for a manufacturing operation involving highly flammable
materials.  The school's owner/director has been holding weekly parents meetings
to keep us apprised of the situation.  What follows is an update from last
week's meeting, during which some important decisions were made.

1.  The parents voted unanimously to accept the new building owner's September  
    30 deadline to vacate the building rather than go to court (he was seeking  
    immediate eviction).
2.  It was decided to go after I-2 licensing (which means all the kids,         
    including the infants and toddlers under 2.9 years of age)
2.  It was decided to create a "Building Committee" which will work with the    
    Unitarian Church, the Harvard Building Inspector, and any other town        
    boards/committees to understand and implement whatever changes need to be   
    made to the church's Fellowship Hall prior to moving the school into it.
3.  Some fund-raising is probably  inevitable, and a Fund-raising Committee will
    be needed.

I will have the names of the Building Committee membership tomorrow.  It is
chaired by Harvey Wilkinson and I got volunteered to serve on it because my
husband has a great deal of experience in construction.  

Harvey's already been hard at work, contacting people at the church to
understand whether or not the church's governing board can be expected to
approve leasing us the space.  He and my husband are meeting with a licensed
engineer tonight to walk thru the building and get a better understanding of
what it will require to bring the space up to I-2 code.  The committee will be
meeting tonight at 8 to get itself organized and get moving.  We'll report out
to the parents at the usual meeting on Thursday evening.

One of the suggestions I will be making is that the committee publish a weekly
activity report so that all parents understand what's going on.  I don't know
how the rest of the committee will feel, but I'd be willing to pull that
together and make it available for distribution in the kids' cubbies. 

I realize not everyone can make it to the Thursday night meetings, but if you
can possibly make it to the next couple, please do.  In the meanwhile, think
about ways in which you would be willing to contribute ($$, time, materials,
whatever).  We need some energy and creativity!

EC

    Since Harvard is a small community with lots of kids, you may be able
    to have a small "carnival/kids' day" in the center of town, to help
    raise money.  Simple stuff that parents can do - face painting, balloon
    manipulation (whatever you call that when they tie the skinny balloons
    into dogs and stuff), baked goods, 3-legged races - the sorts of things
    that don't cost much, but will keep the kids entertain.  Presumably
    people have time to donate, and you could charge a couple dollars a
    kid, or just take donations.  Provide a little write-up about what's
    going on - it may help the rest of the town people to know more about
    the proposed manufacturing as well (if you're trying to stop that). 
    And maybe run a car wash at the same time.  Check with the Fire Dept. -
    sometimes they're willing to donate the water/space for it (though I
    can't remember if it's near the common or not).  Maybe get the dads
    into a "sponsored" softball game or something, where they collect
    before the game.  Not sure of the "legality" of all this stuff, just
    some ideas.
    
    Good Luck!!
    

    Kids can decorate their bikes, baby carriages, etc for a little parade
    thru the fairgrounds, too.  Award a prize (donated from the community)
    to the best (insert category here).  This will bring lots of people to
    the fair also.
    
    -sandy
    

    I am moving the following replies to note 526 from 561 because they
    also deal with a daycare center (the same center?) being evicted.
    
    Laura
    co-mod

    I'm not sure how this would work for you, but our teen girls' group has
    made a tremendous profit from Car Washes.  If the daycare is moving to
    a church building, see if the church would allow you the use of their
    parking lot, water and hose.  You supply buckets, sponges or long
    handled brushes, and car wash liquid which you can buy by the gallon in
    the Wholesale Clubs.  
    
    We tell the girls to wear their bathing suits, usually with a pair of
    shorts over them.  Everyone ends up wet but happy!  We usually take the
    girls across the street for pizza after.
    
    In this situation it might be a thing needing high parental
    involvement, but even the littlest ones like the idea of splashing and
    "helping" to wash cars.
    
    Our current daycare has sold candybars at a great profit in the past.
    Each child is given a box with 36 candy bars of three different
    varieties, and are to be sold at a dollar each by a specified date. 
    Unfortunately the last time they did it, I was at DECworld so it was
    difficult to get rid of them at work.  I bought a dozen and just froze
    them for special moments.
    
    A previous center funded a "Turkey Day feast", which is a traditional
    Thanksgiving dinner for the entire family.  Parents are asked to bring
    desert items, and pay a price per family.  There is a similar thing but
    it is a "spagetti feast".  Spagetti is real cheap to make, and easy to
    prepare.
    
    Perhaps you have someone, even some of the parents, who would be
    willing to donate materials and/or labor towards fixing up the new
    center.  Pick two weekends in a row and designate them as "fix up-clean
    up days"  Everyone wears grub clothes, comes equipped with bucket,
    gloves, drop cloths, paint and paint brushes, hammer, nails and lumber.
    It would certainly make the new center more appreciated by the families
    who use it.
    
    Happy fund raising!
    Lyn

The parents' commitee has been working like crazy since last week and has a lot
of information to share.  Tonight we will give the parents the available options
(yes, there are some) and ask them to make some decisions.

Unfortunately, the notice of "Final Parents Meeting" found in the kids' baskets
was not intended to be interpreted in the way most of us read it.  It was meant
to infer that from here on in the Center's Board of Directors will be running
the meetings, not that there will be no more meetings

Please try to attend tonight because this will be informative and important!

Elaine

For those who didn't attend Thursday's meeting, here's an update:

The parents in attendance were given 2 options:  continue pursuing a new site
and try to keep the school going or close HCA effective October 1.  It was
unanimously decided to keep going.  Many (most?) parents are finding alternative
care for their kids as an insurance policy, but are committing to help in any
way they can to make this work out.

The Site Committee has narrowed the options actively being investigated.  Right
now we're looking at the Xyplex building on Foster Street in Littleton (right
off rte 2) and the daycare center on Fort Devens slated to close August 27. 
We're hoping to get the Building Inspector into Xyplex today as a lot hinges on
his approval.  The center at Fort Devens is perfect in terms of set up, but we
must wend our way through the government bureaucracy to find out if the cost is
reasonable and how to get a lease.  We're not sure there's enough time left to
do that.

Several committees have been set up...A Finance Committee will be reviewing the
books to figure out exactly how much $$ we have to work with, the Funding
Committee already has some ideas on raising some up-front money for expenses,
and a Marketing Committee is going to be coming up with ideas on attracting new
students.  Meanwhile, several parents have volunteered to call *all* HCA parents
to elicit their support and involvement.  

Our experience has been that the parents have a lot in common (beyond their
kids' enrollment in HCA) and we've enjoyed getting to know some of them.  If
each of us does a little bit to help make this work, no one should be unduly
burdened.  So when you get a phone call, please try to help!