The littlest ones had already fallen asleep. Sheikhnur Adan just arrived to pick up his four kids. TONER: It's now 9:30 at night at the 24-hour daycare Fantastic Beginnings. She says she wishes her little girl could go to sleep at home, but right now, day and night care is her only option. TONER: Powell's job is to pass out medication at a nursing home about a half-hour away. Today's pickup is early, but that's not the case most days.ĬONTESSA POWELL: Sometimes I work from six to two, sometimes I work two to 10, sometimes I work from 10 to seven, so it's all over the place. TONER: After the bingo game and a round of brownies for the kids, Contessa Powell arrives to gather her three-year old daughter. Transportation to and from home, which was normally not done, but I know several people that are doing that now. LINDA KOSTANTENACO: Some are offering what they call 24-hour child care, evening care, the extended hour care, weekends, you know, even Saturday and Sunday. Linda Kostantenaco is president of the National Child Care Association. TONER: While national groups don't formally keep track of how many daycare centers offer non-traditional hours, it's clear that more are heading in that direction because families are taking shift work or second jobs to make ends meet. MARILYN BARTON: This means that they have to try and put their job on hold, or either they just can't go to work at that time because they don't have anybody to take care of their children. Owner Marilyn Barton says demand for nighttime care has been growing, and recently she's had to turn families away because she's at capacity at night. TONER: Fantastic Beginnings is one of nearly 50 daycares in the city of Milwaukee that are licensed to operate 24 hours, and more than 100 stay open until 11 or midnight. We can't go to work with her 'cause it's old people there.
TANIA: I always like to go somewhere with my momma, but sometimes we don't. Four-year-old Tania spends part of her day at daycare, and also goes to sleep here some nights when her mother works second shift. On the other side of the room, younger kids are sitting at a table working on puzzles.
TONER: This is a group of 8, 9 and 10 year olds. It's small and a bit rundown, but it's cheerful, with bright yellow walls and cutouts of ladybugs hanging from the ceiling. UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: Now, when I call it out, I want you all to spell out whatever word that I call out.ĮRIN TONER, BYLINE: It's 4 o'clock in the afternoon, and a game of bingo is starting at Fantastic Beginnings, a daycare center in Milwaukee's inner city. While parents used to rush to pick up their kids from daycare by the 6 P.M., the traditional closing time, these days many centers are staying open much later, or even around-the-clock.Įrin Toner of member station WUWM visited a 24-hour facility in Milwaukee to learn about nighttime at day care.
She graduated with a Doctorate in Interdisciplinary Leadership from Creighton University in Omaha in 2016.With many workers taking second and third shift jobs to make ends meet, there's a growing demand for evening and overnight child care. Karen graduated from Central Institute for the Deaf, Washington University, with a bachelor and masters degrees.
AROUND THE CLOCK DAYCARE SERIES
Since the creation of the " Toolbox," Karen has added 4 more major learning programs to her product line: Learn To Talk Around The Clock at Childcare© I Promise To Be a Good Parent© Learn To Talk Around The Clock, Knowledge Cards© and Talking Tips, A Series for Families, for Use by Physicians and other Professionals©. The use of the "Toolbox" is appropriate for all children, whether with hearing challenges, language-learning challenges, or those from at-risk families.
AROUND THE CLOCK DAYCARE HOW TO
Karen will help teachers understand how to help families and childcare providers practice to gradually incorporate appropriate listening and spoken language during routines, all day, every day. However, Early Intervention Teachers need to learn how to help families, other teachers, and childcare providers practice routines with the children in their care. As a result, she created a routines-based program for Early Interventionists with the Learn To Talk Around The Clock, A Professional's Early Intervention Toolbox®-and it works! She spent many years as an Early Intervention Specialist teaching children and their parents, learning how children learn to talk, and how parents can support this learning. Karen K Rossi is a trained teacher of the deaf and hard of hearing and a Listening and Spoken Language Specialist.