A move made to address child care gaps
The Guilford Center for Children’s “before and after school” program might deserve a new name.
In addition to running its usual early morning and mid-afternoon activities out of the town’s schools, the GCC this fall also is operating a full-day distance learning program out of the First Congregational Church and the town’s community center.
The initiative, according to officials, was born out of a community effort and as a way to support families while the Guilford Public Schools operate under a hybrid model. It provides child care on days when students are not in school and their parents still need to go to work.
The program also ensures children participate in distance learning, with staff members helping them log into their video classes and check schedules on their Chromebooks, according to Jessica Catlin, who directs the program.
“I think it’s a great opportunity for families in town,” said First Selectman Matthew Hoey. “If you think about the impact that [it] is making on some families, it’s just another great story.”
And plenty of folks are availing themselves of the opportunity, with 110 kids enrolled in the full-day program, ranging in age from around five to 12 years old, according to Catlin.
Julie Fitzpatrick, whose third-grade son is among those participants, described the before- and after-school program — which now also encompasses the full-day program — as “just such a special asset to the school system here.”
“But this school year it’s unprecedented how helpful it is,” she said.
When Fitzpatrick learned that the schools’ hybrid model, which divides students into cohorts for a mix of in-person and distance learning, would leave her son out of school three days a week, she wasn’t sure what to do with the off-days.
The GCC was her answer.