COASTAL OBSERVER

Uncertainty over federal funding for some of the youngest learners has the Pawleys Island Child Development Center at risk of shutting down its most utilized classroom.

The center’s 3-K class is supported by the Child Care Scholarship Program, which receives federal funds to assist qualified parents with childcare expenses. This month, the program placed a temporary pause on applications because the program has run out of funds. Parents who applied on or after Dec. 1 have been denied.

Many of the students’ families rely on scholarships, or vouchers, from the state program that covers weekly tuition, said Tera Marshall, the center’s executive director.

That classroom has the largest enrollment at the center with 15 children. It will leave a void in the center if it is forced to close, Marshall said.

“The bad thing about the 3-K program is there’s no umbrella that handles it,” she said. “So we have to go above and beyond to make sure that kids coming from Early Head Start are going in the 3-K ready, and then coming out of 3-K and going into 4-K ready.”

The nonprofit currently offers Early Head Start for children as young as six-weeks old, 3-K, First Steps 4-K and an after-school program.

Marshall said she was considering layoffs until two teachers left the center. There are currently nine staff members and 38 children enrolled.

The tentative closure of the 3-K class would put the 4-K class at risk as well, she said.

“A lot of our 3-K class students go to our 4-K program,” Marshall said. “That will put that program in danger because it’s easier to move up than it is to recruit from the outside.”

“They can’t reapply, so they can’t afford to continue with the child care,” said Latressa Walker, the lead 4-K teacher. “That would be something devastating for us to see them leave when it is so needed for them.”

The assistance program was meant to be a step up for low-income families, she said.

“There’s people out there who really, truly need it. They’re trying their hardest to make ends meet,” Walker said. “It’s almost like the good is being punished for the bad.”

Danielle Cline of Georgetown is a working mother of three who relies on the preschool. Two of her children, Alexandria, 3, and Christopher, 8 months, are enrolled.

“My daughter’s talking a lot more. She’s learning more things. She’s making friends and she’s coming out of her shell, which is pretty amazing because she’s usually shy,” Cline said.

She found the center while looking for day cares for low-income families.

The tuition is currently $80 per week, and Marshall said she may have to raise it to at least $125. She said she is still trying to figure it out and needs approval through the center’s board.

Marshall, a former student at the center, said she does everything in her power to make sure families can utilize the center regardless of their financial situation.

“It’s like a knife in my heart having to raise tuition,” she said. “I hate to do it, but at this point, I have to do it for the well-being of the school.” 

Cline said if the center raises tuition fees she would most likely have to get a second job to pay for them. If the center closes, she said she would have to quit her job to take care of her children.

“I can’t afford day care, really. So they help so much,” she said. “I really hope that this place can make it because without them, I wouldn’t be able to work.”

The pause in federal funding will ultimately affect the children most, Walker said.

“I can take the beating. I’m an adult. But the children… we are who they count on to help them start their life,” she said. “It trickles down. The biggest impact is the kids.”

Georgena Simmons, who handles cooking and cleaning at the preschool, said all four of her children attended the center. Simmons herself is also a former student.

“This is home. This is the only thing this community had,” she said. 

She said she foresees the cuts affecting other pre-kindergarten providers.

“I know it’s not going to just be this one. It’s going to be all across Georgetown County,” Simmons said. “I don’t even want to think about it. I’m just praying it turns around soon.”

Federick Cohens, the liaison between the Georgetown County School District and early learning providers, said the enrollment in classrooms for 4-K and younger is low this year. 

The district and the providers have an relationship through a early childhood initiative which receives some scholarships through the Frances P. Bunnelle Foundation, he said. The district itself can provide support such as staff trainings but not tuition support, Cohens said.

“I’m pretty sure if one is experiencing these types of challenges, all are experiencing these types of challenges,” he said.

The Pawleys Island Child Development Center offers the “building blocks” that prepare children for kindergarten, Marshall added.

“Kids learn more in their first five years of their life than they do their entire lives. They’re learning how to walk, how to talk, how to work and play with others,” she said. 

Walker said she has the most important job in a child’s life. She said she does her best to not let the financial stress deter the way she teaches.

“It may be little, but it’s significant,” she said. “I’m a part of the village that helps raise these children that helps them get ready for kindergarten. So I’m invested.”

The center has been hosting fundraisers to temporarily fill the gap of the lack of federal funds. However Marshall said the fundraising comes from the same pool of people who are also struggling financially.

She has mostly relied on federal and state grants to run the center. 

“I was very grant-focused, not realizing that I needed to have different avenues,” she said. “Now the grants have pretty much dried up.” 

Marshall said she has been stressed.

“The next, probably, two months are going to be rough, then I think we’re going to be on the upswing. I’m trying to figure out where that money is coming from,” Marshall said. “It’s Christmas time. People are focused on if they have money. They’re focused on their own houses and their own families.”

She said she has never had a situation like this but is confident she will find a solution.

“I have too many people depending on me, so I’ve got to make it work,” Marshall said.