CHILD CARE Group sets up office in Lisbon

About a dozen day-care providers will be state certified in January.
By NANCY TULLIS
VINDICATOR SALEM BUREAU
LISBON -- Columbiana County women who care about children now have a home office.
This week is the first for the Columbiana County Child Care Provider Association in its office above the Columbiana County Democrat headquarters at 124 E. Lincoln Way.
Peg Gilbert of Salem, the association president, said the group was formed in 1992 through a day-care grant to Columbiana County Job and Family Services but never had a regular meeting place. Dennis Johnson, chairman of the county Democrats, is allowing the group to use the upstairs office space, she said.
The office will be used for meetings and training sessions for day-care providers. Gilbert said about a dozen day-care providers will complete training this fall and by January will be state certified to provide day care for up to six children in each of their homes.
Children involved
Children in those day-care programs can be from homes where parents and children receive public assistance, but they can also be independent by self-paying, she said. The association works closely with the county JFS to provide day care while parents involved in JFS programs are at work or in school, she said.
Other officers besides Gilbert are Treasa Dawson of Salem, vice president; Robin Earl of Leetonia and Elinor Wright of Salem, secretaries; Deborah Ice of East Liverpool, treasurer; and Judy Plegge of Guilford Lake, public relations.
Gilbert said the association members and officers work closely with Carol Harvey, a supervisor at Columbiana County Job and Family Services.
"There have been a lot of ups and downs over the years, but this group has stayed together even without a regular place to meet and conduct training sessions," Harvey said. "This group is dedicated and goal-oriented and wants this association to succeed."
Certification
Harvey said to earn state certification, day-care providers must complete training such as first aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation, and 30 hours of state required classes in child care and safety. They must pass health screenings, be at least 18 and are fingerprinted and must pass criminal background checks.
Their homes are inspected initially and then several times a year, with the periodic visits unannounced, she said.
Harvey said the providers have a long list of requirements for home day care, including size of the rooms and safety features such as locks on cabinets and covers on electrical outlets.
"We have a great team and a great group of officers and we want to educate people," Gilbert said. "We want to improve the quality of child care for the children and the providers.
"Last year 12 children died while in the care of day-care providers," she said.
"Some deaths were because the providers were out of control. Three of the providers were certified; the rest were not. They were under the radar.
"Our goal is for all of the day-care providers in the county to be certified because we believe the more educated the provider, the safer the home."
tullis@vindy.com