It is budget time for county and city government and many of those who receive funds from Carroll County to support their non-profit efforts are coming before the board of supervisors to discuss needs for Fiscal Year 2020. Michelle Starman, director of the Manning Child Care Center, says they continue to operate at capacity and have identified a major goal for the next year that will reap benefits for many more years to come.
The child care center has now been in operation for 16 years, and Starman says they are seeing some of the original equipment in need of attention or replacement. They have been working hard to keep up with the costs associated with those issues. Another goal is to convert the current pea-gravel playground surface to a rubberized one. Starman says they are also brainstorming ideas for opportunities to provide different types of child care for the growing community.
Over the past year, they were able to pay off a loan to the city of Manning, making the last payment of $50,000 and having an additional $25,000 forgiven. Starman reports with the birth of about 15 new babies from just one large local employer, they have hired three new full-time staff members to cover the need. They are also looking forward to being able to continue to offer their services to Carroll, Audubon, Crawford and Shelby County residents. About 80 percent of the families are from Carroll County with the next largest segment from Crawford. Audubon and Shelby represent a small percentage. Starman says they are requesting the same amount as last year, $15,000. Typically, they receive around $8,500 from Carroll County. The money is generally set aside for equipment repairs or replacement. This year, some could also be used for playground updates and employee retention. No decision was made and the final amount will be decided as the budgeting process continues.
