Tonight, February 12th, USD 379 will vote to decide if the board will “give approval for
district administration to proceed with the planning and preparation of opening a district-run
childcare program within the future Clay Center Multi-Generational Facility. Collected fees and
grant dollars will be utilized to run and operate the childcare program,” according to a board report.

The Accelerator Community Grants Board Report released in the meeting’s public agenda lists
that USD 379’s responsibilities within the new Community Life Center would be to run and
maintain the childcare portion of the building, and apply and maintain the appropriate childcare
licensing guidelines for the State of Kansas. The report says USD 379 is proposing to open
two childcare rooms, with additional rooms a possibility in the future. The report also lists that “there is no long-term commitment nor contract required. It would be a year-to-year arrangement.”

The report’s author, USD 379 Superintendent Brett Nelson, said if the Board approves the
motion, the resulting planning and preparation will help to recruit and retain the USD 379
workforce and help address the childcare crisis in the community.

Tonight’s meeting will begin at 6 pm and will be live-streamed for the public to view remotely.
Nelson says a previous USD 379 meeting was not live-streamed as it was a Board training event.
Nelson says there have been no policy changes to live streaming USD 379 Board Meetings.

Click to watch the meeting: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=USD+379