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| Kids breaking in the daycare |
There will be no cost for the daycare services for the children of Gracedale, Emergency Operations Center, and Forensic Center employees, thanks to federal funding.
It will be operated by The Learning Locomotion.
There will be a separate drop-off for the children right by the Southeast wing.
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| Jennifer Stewart |
This daycare was approved by a 7-2 vote of Northampton County Council in May 2022, with John Brown and John Goffredo voting No. McClure expressed his appreciation to County Council for appropriated $2 million of federal funds towards this venture.
When the federal funds are gone, McClure stated that daycare users will likely be assessed a nominal fee.
It is a pilot program that might be expanded in the future to include other county departments or discontinued. According to Gracedale Administrator Jennifer Stewart, "We are being watched throughout the state" by other nursing homes considering this option. She indicated parents could stop and see their children on breaks and pointed out that employees who have to stay at the nursing home during snowstorms will know their children are safe. "A daycare plus a pension is a win-win situation for any working parent.
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| Lamont McClure |
Human Services Director Sue Wandalowski estimates that the daycare will accommodate between 30-50 kids. It which will operate between 6:30 am and 7 pm for children from 6 weeks to 12 years old. Gracedale Administrator Jennifer Stewart added there's room for expansion as well.
County officials believe this will attract and retain staff, many of whom are parents. Stewart added that this will also be a benefit to both the children and the nursing home's residents.
According to McClure, nearly a third of all nursing jobs are unfilled in Pennsylvania. He added that 23% of Pennsylvania families are unable to find adequate daycare; 9% must take unpaid leave; and another 9% must reduce their hours of work. He stated this "materially impacts our ability to do the things that we need to do to care for the residents." He added that the daycare will enable the county to meet its "moral obligation" to care for 400 souls with nowhere else to go.
Hi Bernie, don’t know if I’m reading this wrong, but it sounds confusing.
ReplyDelete“…pointed out that employees who have to stay at the home during snowstorms will know their children are safe.”
50 kids in one place under the same roof as frail elderly. No ICC nurse on staff at Gracedale. Mandates are often during hours that this daycare will not be open so where’s the benefit there? Good luck - hold your breath that nothing serious happens here.
ReplyDeleteMcClueless is once again wasting taxpayers hard earned money. The taxpayers had to take care of their own daycare. HE AND SHE NEED TO GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteLamont lowered taxes didn’t he. ? Your point?
DeleteThe idea is to retain and recruit employees. After the Fed money runs out in 3 or 4 years, the County in theory will be able to use the money it saves not having to higher agencies to come in and work on the daycare.
ReplyDeleteGracedale spends WAY too much moola on outside nurses. If this helps, then cool beans.
ReplyDeleteMcClure gave Council credit ?
ReplyDeleteI think all employees should have this option.
ReplyDeleteNot sure what his blind spot is on wages, but McClure genuinely seems to care about the employees.
ReplyDeleteLamont is the most pro-employee Executive in County history. When other counties were using the Pandemic as an excuse to Fire employees, like Berks for instance, Northampton County not only didn’t fire anybody, but everybody still got paid. This is true even when they got sent home to do little if a any work because of COVID.
ReplyDeleteNo wonder the poor taxpayers of Northampton County are suffering.
Delete:McClueless is once again wasting taxpayers hard earned money. The taxpayers had to take care of their own daycare. HE AND SHE NEED TO GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
ReplyDeleteThe reason a daycare is proposed at Gracedale is to attract and retain employees and reduce reliance on outside agency nurses. This in turn will enable the home to increase census. So this will actually help taxpayers. Some employers in the private sector offer this perc to employees. https://www.flexjobs.com/blog/post/flexible-companies-offering-childcare-assistance/
By the way, who is she? If this is a a reference to Stewart, you could not be more wrong. She is precisely the kind of person who belongs at Gracedale. She started at the bottom. She knows what it's like to change bedpans and was doing it during the pandemic. She knows what being a union member is like bc she was in the union. She has a quality you'd want to see before anything else in a person who runs a nursing home. She has compassion. Here's something she said about working at a nursing home during the last human services committee. "It's a tough job. You're taking care of someone's life. Sometimes it's rewarding and sometimes it's frustrating because people yell at you because they can't do anything. They come into a nursing home and sometimes it's their last place to go. They're frustrated. They've lost their independence." On top of that, what person whose kids have grown goes out and adopts six foster kids? She cares.
You can say what you want about McClure. He's a big boy who needs constant memento mori warnings. But you have King all wrong.
Are there still disgruntled employees? Yes. I heard one talking after the presser. She had actually been at the presser and was complaining afterwards that the county is starting a daycare but can't fix the elevator. But I think Stewart cares first and foremost about the residents, followed by the employees.
She is the real deal , she does care about the residents and staff.
Delete"I think all employees should have this option."
ReplyDeleteI agree and it is being considered. This is a pilot program. What happens at Gracedale will certainly determine what happens elsewhere.
"McClure gave Council credit ?"
ReplyDeleteYes. Unfortunately, no Council member was there to hear it.
After CoVid, McClure's reference to a "moral obligation," is beyond stunning.
ReplyDeleteWhat I find stunning is your lame attempt to lay the blame for the tragic deaths at Gracedale during the pandemic at his feet when he did everything in his power to prevent them. He was one of the first, and possibly the first, to set up an isolation ward at a nursing home. He attempted to keep residents safe by isolating them from the outside community. He brought in the Pa. National Guard, and you mocked him for that. He refused to admit residents from hospitals unless they tested negative for COVID. If he had done nothing, as you seem to suggest, the mortality rate there would have been 100%. He can sleep soundly at night knowing he exhausted every possibility and that his measures saved lives. You are just trying to score political points on the tragic deaths of people you'd toss out on the street.
ReplyDeleteLamont's compassion knows no bounds. He closed parks and sliding boards and gets full credit for preventing the fresh air and exercise holocaust that could have killed thousands. They owe their lives to Lamont. No respect at all.
ReplyDeleteYour comment has nothing to do with Gracedale or the daycare. It's true he closed parks for a few weeks. This was at a time when it was unclear whether the virus would survive on things like sliding boards. Once the science became more clear, he opened the parks. Had he kept them open and the virus was not just an airborne virus but one that lingered on objects, you'd be blaming him for keeping them open. You are just trying to make political points and don't really give a shit about public safety. When one of your lame arguments is defeated, you move on to the next ignorant claim.
ReplyDeleteJen is a huge asset to Gracedale. She really cares about doing the right thing for residents and staff.
ReplyDelete"Gracedale spends WAY too much moola on outside nurses. If this helps, then cool beans."
ReplyDeleteYou are joking right? We know who says this don't we.
Bernie 9:23 AM - Other jobs DON'T USE TAXPAYER DOLLARS to pay for their daycare. HUGE DIFFERENCE! Take away school taxes from senior citizens or people who never had children in the school system - why should we pay for school tax and day care. Gracedale employees have said numerous times that Stewart needs to go. You can say what you want about him caring about employees. I know for a fact that it isn't true. I know of several former employees that he could have cared less about, got rid of, and were working beyond because they care about their work and the taxpayers. McClueless, his administration, and STEWART need to go.
ReplyDelete8:12, Stewart is a she, not a he. You are obviously poorly informed. I am basing my evaluation of her on several year of observation. It was not reached overnight. She is the real deal. And yes, a daycare could actually result in saving taxpayer dollars. If you retain and attract more employees, that results in less agency nurses. That is a huge savings. If you have more staff, you can house more residents. That means more income. Happier people are more productive. This is good for residents. So in the ling run, this might save $. But it is a pilot program. We'll see.
ReplyDeleteAll employers should have this service for their employees, free of charge.
ReplyDeleteScrew the pilot program, we need to make this a reality for all of us hard working Americans. What happened to our middle class benefits? That’s right we wanted to give big tax benefits to businesses and wealthy C-Suite people.