Lifelong Wyoming County resident Andrew Speed is leading a group of parents as they fight to keep the Mudpies and Milestones Childcare Center in Warsaw open.
On Wednesday night parents learned that Community Action of Wyoming County is looking to close the childcare center that offers childcare, Universal Pre-K and Wrap- Around Care on June 28th. Speed says the non- profit group told parents they are unable to make ends meet. Speed believes that may be the case for Community Action as whole, but not necessarily for the childcare center.
Mudpies and Milestones has been a licensed provider in Wyoming County since 1998 and parents are running out of options for childcare in Wyoming County according to Speed.
He says there are 48 families with children at the childcare facility and there is currently a waiting list of 17 children.
The parent group hopes to meet with Community Action of Wyoming County next Thursday at their board meeting to learn more about their financial situation and how they can help. There also is a Google Group that has formed called Parents for Mudpies and Milestones.
Speed says he has already contacted all of the local politicians in the area along with businesses looking for support. He says the support is there and he is hoping to find a way to keep the center from closing.
“Desperate times call for desperate measures, we need to dig down deep, we need to come together as a community and save this location,” says Speed.
“Day care is a massive need in this and other communities. I’m a teacher and I’m working two jobs. I’m working almost 60 hours a week to make ends meet. My wife also works a full time job. We are doing everything we can to stay a float. It’s too much to worry about where can we take our 3 month old baby, who can we trust? There is no other option, we need to keep this place open.”