I think the part that is riling people up is that normal centers are NOT subsidized...therefore the rest of the population has been paying for full priced childcare forever. If they loose their subsidies they could continue on if they raised their rates. They are just choosing not too.

Second, GM and Lear are no longer working so those families shouldn't even be using the facility. I'm sure there are some families from the county and LSS that are and for those I'm sorry their children will have to adjust.

Third, someone else brought up a great point about the 55K from the County. That would be tax money right? I do believe that's a little unfair.

Forth, as for the welfare comments, those are uncalled for. My husband has been unemployed for a year now and all we qualify for is medical care. No food money, no child care (because all adults must hold a full time job to qualify and school does not count!) and no cash benefits. The only people that are truly milking the system are those sitting around collecting benefits not working or going to school and lying about the situation. There are plenty of them but to generalize like that is unfair.

Lastly, childcare for regular people has been expensive for a long time. I choose not to work because I'd make no money at the end of the week. Choices are sometimes hard to make but it always works out. I can't imagine with all the lay offs why there are waiting lists. That's crazy...Good Luck!

Gary,
You will definitely be able to tell who is walking on your lawn now that the snow is falling. Just follow the footsteps my friend. You could be like that crazy man from "Monster House". LOL. I really was not entertained at all while reading through these posts until I saw your entries. Thanks for the laughs. Good times.

As an Early Childhood Administrator, this is sad on many accounts; the children, staff and families. The consortium was/is a great idea for the companies that participated. The school was closely regulated by all parties with monthly board meetings and many other means. It was a dream school to work in and what a ground breaking event to have four VERY diverse employers work together to have 24 hour / drop off / mildly ill care for their employees. I applaud them! My stay there now seems so short but it was AWESOME. Thank you to all the staff and families for the memories and good luck to everyone. SB

gary....get a life! I will be sure that all the kids I know walk across your lawn too!

You sure fell for that one. You took the bait, hook, line, and sinker. :-)

OnTheNESide....I also called Community Action and it was just over $5/hr to take my son! My husband and I work different shifts to cut back on daycare costs, well apparently that does not make sense because it costs more that way. Just stupid, that is all I have to say!

That's actually $7/hr but I can believe it was Kindercare that is charging that much. Kindercare is a private "learning center", not a babysitting service. Also, remember, for part time care, you will be charged more due the limited number of children allowed in the child care. And at 9 hrs/day, that's like over time which apparently they can get. Try a licensed family child care - Janesville has lots of great ones with preschool activities.

OnTheNESide.....maybe you should start to call around and you will be surprised at the what it costs at a daycare center to take care of a toddler! I called Kindercare and they told me it would cost $188.00 for THREE days of daycare at 9 hours a day! That equals out to be $7.50/hr!!!!

gary....you grumpy old man, get a grip! How about you pay my bills and then I WILL stay home and take care of my kids! moron!

And you kids get off my lawn!

Here's a revolutionary idea: Take care of your own kids!

I would like to provide some answers to the questions that were posed in response to my posting. We are a non-religous private school that has an EDUCATIONAL philosophy of L. Ron Hubbard. We do not teach a religious philosophy. Also, we train all of our own teachers on our educational philosophy and how to work with children, therefore, no official degree is required. We do have the licensure qualifications as required by the state for child care as well. We are modeled after a school called Clearwater Academy that has developed an amazing curriculum that has been in use for 25 plus years. So we have a lot of experience, qualifications and successes behind us.

It is indeed very sad that JIT is closing it's doors. I feel for the families that have had job lay-offs as well as loosing their jobs due to our terrible economy. That in itself is a tragedy for everyone who experiences it. To face an uncertain future where you worry about paying bills, a new job hunt, and the stress of not knowing what will happen around the corner. I also empathize strongly for the parents who have to search out new care for their children. When you have the good fortune of finding a center that your child enjoys going to, trust in the teachers caring for your child, and a smiling little face telling you goodbye until the end of the work day...I can imagine it is very hard to have to start at square one again. From a teacher's view, I can tell you that it is JUST as hard for us to have to say goodbye to the children (and families) that we have grown very attached to. We grow a very strong affection for the children we spend each day with. We, too, face an uncertain future wondering where we will go to work and IF there are positions available for us. There are many sides to this subject of the center closing. But the most important, I feel, are the children themselves and that they will be sent to qualified and safe caregivers where they will be loved, nurtured, respected and given the best early education they can get. To all the families that have passed thru the doors of JIT...good luck and know that you'll be missed.

Christine, can you tell me how your teachers are qualified?? I just read a classified ad hiring teachers for your school, no degree required, experience preferred?? I would like my children to have a quality education from teachers who have some education themselves.

So basically someone needs to buy the business & keep it going. Those of you who think someone's going to make money hand over fist, don't realize what it costs to own the business, the building, insurance, deal with licensing, employe the right qualified people/keep them (for that 8 bucks/hr and few benefits) & provide meals and wonderful activities, environment everyone desires. It's shutting down because it's costly. Since the businesses are not contributing, it can't afford to stay open.

I don't really get why the county would contribute to this - isn't that our tax money? Why would I, personally, want to pay for someone else's child care? Oh yeah, I already am through the WI Shares program.

Anyway, those of you who think child care centers are so expensive, (who's charging $5-$7.50/hr? That's not the norm for our area) just remember, quality child care is priceless. Priorities need to be adjusted.

One issued being ignored here is how difficult this might be on the children. It is not always an easy transition switching daycares. Children now have to get used to a different teacher and routine. Our child uses the center and loves it there. She is going to have a difficult time adjusting to a new place. It is harder to concentrate at work when you are worried about how your child is adjusting to daycare.

Here's a ground floor opening for someone to buy/run this turn-key center and make big CASH $$$$$ now!!!!

If the "waiting list" is so long at the other providers, you will have customers lined up and down the block to get in.

Christine: Will you confirm or refute that your academy is based on the teaching of scientology?

Thank you, Christine 'misora,' for being part of the solution. Many of us do not have the ability to supply those services that the Academy can! Again, thank you!

Thank you, Gabby, for pointing that out. It is even more difficult for people that have lower incomes to find quality daycare or a qualified babysitter. I, too, am in the income bracket that qualifies for assistance. I am fortunate, though, that I have a roommate that makes enough money to pay rent and the bills.

Gabby, have you looked into working with any one of the agencies that serves those with disabilities? It isn't the greatest pay or premiums for insurance, but it is that hand-up that you seem to be looking for.

Well said Unidentified!

I just can't understand why everyone with all the answers just doesn't take over...and make all that money...hand over fist.

What is wrong with this town? Who cares who got what and when? We're past that point. The bottom line is a day care is closing and people have to find alternatives. The other problem is apparently there is waiting list for the other daycares in the area. This social economic talk of the elite people, the poor people, and the state assisted people is completely obserd and doesn't relate to the topic. We're all just people trying to make a living and trying to find child care. More simply put; WE ARE ALL PEOPLE.
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I can promise everyone in Janesville this; if this type of attitude continues in this town, we'll never get out of this mess. What company wants to move to a town where everyone is so darn bitter. Unbelievable!

As the Executive Director of Applied Scholastics Academy, I would love to help with the displaced children as a result of this tragedy. We just opened a new location 2 doors down from Just in Time for Kids at 466 Midland Ct. We are a private school and preschool for ages 2 through High School. We have an excellent program, amazing staff and flexible payment options. Feel free to contact me directly with any questions you may have. Christine 608-359-1737.

First of all, not everyone that complains about the GM problems, is a GM hater. Obviously, this is all that's been talked about in this town for quite sometime and I think when stories like this arise about tough times, and child care costs, etc, etc. the people that don't work at GM, tend to get a little frustrated. These are things non GM people in this community have been dealing with and have dealt with for a long time. This story is about how the day care cannot stay open because of the subsidies that GM primarily provided. Now that those "perks" aren't provided, this cannot stay open. What about all the other day cares? How do they survive and stay afloat? That's what is frustrating about all of these stories. There are many people out there that have survived on way less than what GM employees make and the benefits that were provided to them. Those people managed and found ways. I don't knock GM people for making what they make. Good for you, but the reality is starting to sink in on what many other people have been dealing with forever.

jvlmom~ 'therefore we do not qualify like some lazy people do who sit around and collect aid from the state and get part of their daycare paid for!'
~I do get state aid for medical asst. Not all people who collect state aid get daycare asst. too. I have never taken more from the state than what I needed. Which is medical care for my daughter. If I could have afforded to keep my insurance from my job then I would have. But laying someone off then telling them they can keep their insurance for $800 a month is unbelievable!!!! I am sick of people thinking everyone who has state aid is abusing it. I am looking for a job with insurance so I don't have to use it. I can't help that I'm not one the janesville "elite"

you know i really hate that people are saying that GM,LabSafety,Lear,and County are the elite people. my wife happens to work for the county and ill tell you what she makes half what a GM employee makes for wages. even less since she does not have the pension plan GM had in place. not saying it was a bad thing that they had going. but my point is our kids goto JIT and me and my wife put together dont match up to what one GM employee makes. and to have this service lost WILL hurt. so if you think that two people not even equaling what one makes ELITE you are sorely mistaken.

besides this it doesnt matter what anyone makes or does not make. to lose your child care service is a big hurt. since there are usually waiting lists to even get in. and most places if you want decent care taken of your children cost way too much! places we have looked at would cost half of my hourly wages. it almost makes a person want to just quit and let the state pay for it. like some already do.

and to all the rest of you GM haters that think this will not affect you in the least. just wait til your house values go in the toilet because noone will be able to afford them anymore. and when there arent as many taxes paid into the state anymore your taxes go up also. then you can start crying!

this will hurt everyone right down to the littlest jobs no matter what you think. instead of bashing what others had. why dont we work harder ourselves to improve ourselves. and work on getting new jobs in town for those that will need them.

jvlmom: the article states, "Creative Children's Learning Center, the nationwide company that owns Just in Time for Kids...." who said anything about anyone being lazy or collecting from the state?? I, for one, didn't... nor am I insinuating that... it's like the article states, "The center cares for children whose parents work at Lab Safety Supply, Rock County, Lear Corp. and General Motors." that is an ELITE group in our community... you don't have to be a lawyer or a doctor to be among the elite...
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prevention & spark: that's the point I'm trying to make as well... unfortunately, there are a few people in here that fail to recognize that...

They have asked many companies in the area all of them said NO!

I am very sad to see JITFK closing. I figured it would happen, but it's still sad. My kids absolutely loved it there when they were younger. I felt very safe and confident leaving my children with Kim and her staff! Best of luck to you Kim and everyone else!

That was kind of my point to all of this. Why is it closing? More daycare is needed and the story states, these people are looking for daycare. As far as paying full costs, etc. that's reality. I've been doing it like many, many others for a long time.

Can't a consortium of other companies take it over for their employees? I know it would be wonderful for parents who work in the field of DD to have a reliable child care agency in town.

It is very sad this day care is closing! I love it and so does my son. I've never worried about dropping him off there, the teachers are outstanding! It will be hard to locate a new daycare because that involves putting your trust in new people watching your children, and there are so many terrible daycare stories these days. Plus I have called around and just about everyone has a waiting list.

momof5....I do hear you on the price of daycare, I also do agree on the credentials that alot of these places "claim" that their "teachers" have! Most of them DO NOT have the degrees etc......for what they claim to have! That is very sad! I did get lucky and I found a wonderful in-home daycare to send my son to, he will start when JIT cloes. BUT it is in another town over and we will have to drive a bit, BUT I know he will be taken care of and also the price is right!

one last thing: in the US, like janesvillean said, childcare is a low-priority and low-paying job. I was FURIOUS when I learned that the $225/WEEK tuition I was paying at our previous center (for one child) went to pay a "teacher" who made $8/hr. That in and of itself is a cause for ire. But, my real ire came when I found out that only 3 of that center's "teachers" had a degree or certificate in childcare (the owner, the director and the assistant director--which happened to be my sister-in-law). My daughter went there for over a year and none of her "teachers" were technically even qualified to hold that title. The more I checked around, the more I found that this was a common practice. ASK QUESTIONS! This state licensed center cared for kids from 12 weeks to 10 years old and has a waiting list of about 7 months. The center we are at now hires only degreed teachers. If anyone is looking for childcare in Dane County, message me and I will give you their name.

Well, atleast we are making progress here. GM is no longer the only elitist group in Janesville. It seems that Lear, Lab Safety and Rock County employees have also joined the group. It seems to always be about what others have and (you) don't. There may not be employers in Janesville who have private daycare on-site, but there are plenty in Dane County. Mercy, when I worked there, had beds up in peds reserved for employees to take their sick child so they didn't have to call off. It is called a benefit for a reason! Build a bridge and get over it: life isn't fair. Be thankful you have a job that necessitates you needing daycare! Better yet, be thanful you have children who need tending to while you have the fortune to have a job that allows you to provide for their wants and needs.
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Of course there are other centers out there, armyof3, but Just In Time was unique. You could call at 2pm, inquire if there was "room at the inn" and drop your child(ren) off at 4pm/ They are also open earlier and later than most traditional daycare providers. My kids went there, even though they didn't have to. They loved it and would ask to go back "just because."
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jvlmom: I feel your pain. I pay nearly $2000/month to have 2 kids in daycare (outside of Rock County). We just switched providers about a month ago. When we switched, we looked at no-frill centers, home-based centers, average centers and the one we finally picked--which has a chef who makes take home meals on Thursdays. The prices were pretty much all the same across the board. $200 for toddlers and $225-250 for infants per week--and the parents provide diapers/wipes etc..,
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I do agree, however, with those who are saddened and are questioning why "JIT" can't stay open. It really is a unique place that should be afforded to more children and their parents.

armyof3...I don't like coffee...so no thanks I will pass on the smelling of your coffee!!! CCLC DOES NOT OWN Just In Time, they are just a management company! Also, for YOUR information there was ALOT of work done to find other companies to pay out the two hundred thousand that GM and Lear paid out, BUT the big companies asked turned it DOWN!!!!! Maybe if you were on the board, you would know these things! Also, if I were LOCALLY ELITE I would NOT be working! I guess maybe you should have been working for one these companies it is not MY problem you did not have this luxury! My husband and I work very hard and so therefore we do not qualify like some lazy people do who sit around and collect aid from the state and get part of their daycare paid for! So, WE have to pay full price for daycare!

Spark...familes will have a hard time finding daycare because of the waiting lists out there! I called several places and could not get a waiting list UNDER a 6 months wait! This is going to jeopardize jobs! Also, the price of daycare centers is rediculous! I think they ALL need to reconsider what is being charged for daycare!

Day care is probably one of those things that demonstrates how false the idea is that "the market" always optimizes itself and we should just complacently shrug our shoulders and accept the world as it is.
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In the United States child care is considered a very low-priority job. If you assume that "the market" shows its value, then we value child care very poorly, because it's at the bottom of the wage scale. But part of the problem is that the people who need child care the most are those struggling with two incomes to meet expenses, or single mothers raising a family on one income with no assistance from relatives.
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It's not surprising at all that a for-profit company can't continue a high-quality care facility without a subsidy, nor is it surprising that demand for quality child care outstrips the affordable supply.
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On the other hand, spark, you and I might agree that the child care system in the United States "makes no sense". We're far behind some other countries in having a fair, equitable, affordable, and available system.

Then the article makes no sense because it says families will have problems finding daycare. This whole thing makes no sense.

If there is such a need for day care the demand will drive the supply. Economics 101.
I'm sure the corporation looked to see if the demand would still be there after all the companies leave, which it won't be.

another case of the clueless commenting on things they know nothing about.

jvlmom, wake up and smell the coffee...there are other facilities out there that you and others are able to utilize... you just need to look harder... as for working for a company that has daycare on site, by all means, do share which one(s)you're referring to?? if that were the case, don't you think that there are many parents that would prefer to utilize that instead of putting their children in daycare??
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"Creative Children's Learning Center, the nationwide company that owns Just in Time for Kids and KinderCare, chose not to keep the center open without the subsidies, Smith said."
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let's look at the picture... 4 large locally based companies took their children there because of the subsidies... there are other companies out there that may be willing to pay for them, IF more research had been done... just because that as of Wednesday, the 2009 Rock County budget does not include $55,000 that would have been the county's consortium share doesn't mean that it could've been utilized by a different organization or be able to obtain other subsidies... it's a hard reality for those that did have their children there to face, but it is reality none the less... there are many parents out there that didn't have that kind of luxury to know that the facililty their children were going to was a part of the "locally elite" group... I'm sorry that those people have to wake up this way, but it's life...

So once again, corporate GM hosed things up.

hannah.....because there are contracts and stuff out there with these companies, you cannot just "open" it up to the public. It is not that easy!

gabby.....Yes, this center IS fair! There are lots of big companies out there that have daycare at their places of employment right in their building! The public does not have access to this, this is a right that the employees have as they work for their company! Nothing in this world is fair, but life goes on!

The reason this center was created for just a few select employeers is because GM originally started for THEIR employees. GM could not afford to pay for the whole thing alone so they asked around and the County and Lab and Lear were interested so they signed on. They did this to keep the cost LOW for parents for daycare. The board members have tried VERY hard asking around to other large businesses and such to keep the center open but due to the economny today, these businesses were not able to put out the kind of money needed to keep the center open. They cannot just "open" it up to the public because of GM's part of the center. There are contracts and such out there with GM and those need to settle first and when GM pulls out, then maybe there will be something come along but until then they cannot just open it up to the public. You have to have business that are willing to give money every year to help keep it open. Both of my children have gone there and my son currently goes there. They are WONDERFUL there, they have always taken excellent care of my kids and I never hesitated leaving them there. This is very sad, and it is also very sad that all other daycares in town are so rediculously high priced that people cannot afford them! I called around and there was a center that wanted $7.50/hr to take care of my son! WHAT IS THAT!!!! Be for real now, parents cannot afford daycare costs like that! That is rediculous! I was not able to find a center that would take my son for under $5/hr! In society today both parents typically have to work to make ends meet and to have daycare prices like that is just not right!

Remeber in the article about Head Start and people were moaning and groaning about everyone not being treated equally on the price of their child going there. Is this center fair????? I understand that the employers payed to let their employees take their children there but how many other factories are there in Janesville that could use this. Was the option even open for them? I can think of a few that would actually use it. I think this center is great and even offering a room for sick kids is awesome but why can't them make it for everyone now. It would keep the employees there still have a job and the children who currently go there wouldn't have to find new teachers!

The reason that only those four employers could use the facility is because those places payed the subsidy...and they provided significantly cheaper care for kids. In order to stay open, the county would have had to pick up a very large chunk of the subsidy, which as we all know was not going to fly in the budget this year.
I'm very sad that they are closing, my daughter LOVES every one of her teachers there.

The YMCA in Janesville has an awesome program with teachers who really love the kids that go there. I think their rates are reasonable - and you can also sign them up for swim classes twice a week that they go to during the day which is especially nice way to break up the days for kids who go to day care full time. I have had my daughter there for almost 3 years and cannot imagine taking her anywhere else! They take kids 2 and up and they also have the P4J program there as well with a teacher from the District. Check them out!

Exactly. This makes no sense to me. So why can't they keep it open as a regular day care for the people that need it. There's obviously a need for more.

sad that a daycare facility is forced to close its doors, however, as the article states "the center cares for children whose parents work at Lab Safety Supply, Rock County, Lear Corp. and General Motors"... talk about limiting those that wanted to enroll their children at that facility... if they weren't so specific as to who they provided child care for or high priced, they may not have been forced to close their doors...

we have a long waiting list where I work and it gets longer every week. It's sad....