POC Summer Programs: Day Care Center

I have recently begun working with the Palatine Opportunity Center much more closely for the summer. One of the first projects I was put to work with is the Day Care Center. Although this isn’t the official name of the program, it is how I have been referring to it for recruiting volunteers.

The daycare is being held in the Learning Lab of the center Monday through Friday from 9:00am-12:00pm. It gives the parents that are taking English, GED, and Zumba an opportunity to completely focus on the class. It is also free for the parents. I have never noticed the cost and obstacle of child care for parents, especially for mothers. And even more so for mothers of low-income households. Generally, the U.S. household requires that both spouses have a full time job to be able to provide all necessities (trend in the last 30 years). But childcare completely reverses income to expense.

The key to keep this program running really depends on the volunteers. We are in the second week of the program and there has consistently been over 30 children attending the day care. The main responsibilities of the volunteers are to engage the children in reading books, playing board games, and arts and crafts. This is a lot of kids and we would not be able to keep track of all of them if it weren’t for the volunteers which most are Palatine High School students who are seeking to fulfill their service hours for the summer.

Pictures coming soon!