Grant funding has been distributed to child care providers in Brown County to help them better protect preschool-aged children from the worldwide pandemic.

Brown County Schools will welcome students back on Aug. 5. Last month, it was announced the school corporation had received $30,000 from Early Learning Indiana. The money is part of a $15 million “Come Back Stronger” fund supported by the Lilly Endowment, according to a press release from ELE.

The fund is to “reinforce Indiana’s supply of high-quality early learning opportunities, especially for the state’s most vulnerable children,” the release states.

Lori’s Ton O Fun Daycare in Fruitdale received $3,000 from ELE.

In order to receive grant funding, licensed providers had to be serving children using On My Way Pre-K vouchers and operating as a Paths to Quality provider.

The preschools at Helmsburg, Sprunica and Van Buren elementary schools received Paths to Quality Level 3 certifications in March 2019.

Lori’s Ton O Fun Daycare is a Level 4 on Paths to Quality.

Brown County Schools will use the grant money to cover safety-related expenses in the preschools.

“The health and safety of our children, families and staff is our top priority,” said Debbie Harman, the director of student learning.

“Our early learners were thriving in our classrooms prior to the pandemic.”

According to the ELE press release, money will be used to help open additional classroom space to “optimize social distancing;” implement safety practices; respond to new recommendations related to the pandemic throughout the school year; train preschool staff to specifically address the “social and emotional needs” of students; do deep cleaning of spaces, equipment and toys on a regular basis; and buy personal protective equipment and items that are usually shared, like pencils.

Lori Williams, owner of Lori’s Ton O Fun Daycare, said that she applied for funding based on enrollment in her preschool program. She also has programs for toddlers and infants that have openings now.

Williams said she plans to use her funding to purchase a new washer and dryer since they both broke during the pandemic.

“I didn’t really have the money to go buy a new one, so I’ve been carting the stuff home. I live close, so it wasn’t that much of a trouble, but I really missed not having the washer and dryer up here. If a child has an accident or if someone throws up, you can immediately wash their stuff and take care of that,” she said.

She has been sending the kids’ pillows and blankets home with families to wash then bring back, but then they would forget to bring them back.

“With this COVID thing, you’re trying to keep all of outside from coming inside, so if we could keep their pillows and blankets here, and keep their stuff here and not be sending it home then coming back, that’s what I want,” she said

Williams is also going to buy 15 new mats using the grant funding.

Lori’s Ton O Fun Daycare has thermometers, but Williams said she plans to purchase three new ones to take the kids’ temperatures. She also plans to use funding to buy cleaning supplies, like bleach, and hand sanitizer in bulk.

Kids and COVID

Lori’s Ton O Fun Daycare has been open during the COVID-19 pandemic, and Williams said they not had one child, parent or staff member sick with the coronavirus during that time.

The pandemic has affected the number of kids at her daycare, though, because parents lost their jobs or are working from home where they can keep their children with them.

As the pandemic hit home and schools closed, Williams said she was fielding questions from curious little minds still in her care.

“When they first called school and said they would stay out of school until May 1 … the first thing one of these little fellers said is, ‘Does this mean we don’t get a summer?’ That’s the first thing they are thinking. Already, these children’s minds are worried,” she said.

Williams estimates she has about 20 kids among all three of her buildings now, which is about half as many as she should have during the summer. She estimates she has about 10 spots for infants and toddlers aged 0 to 2.

Spots in her preschool will be open this fall.

The pandemic did not really change how daycare staffers cared for the children.

“You always teach a child to wash their hands after they leave the bathroom. You always teach a child to wash their hands after they pick their nose,” she said.

The staff at Lori’s Ton O Fun do not wear masks. “I don’t want to cause additional worry,” Williams said.

She added that keeping masks on young children would be a task in itself. “There’s no way you can put these little kids in masks all day long and it be safe. No way. I totally disagree with trying to do that with a child,” she said.

Williams said the kids usually spend most of their time outside in the fresh air playing.

“We stay outside as much as possible. Sunshine, sunlight, fresh air, all of that is good,” she said.

The children in the infant, toddler and preschool rooms are kept separate from one another.

“We do try to separate the younger ones from the older ones. We’ve always done that,” she said.

At the beginning of the pandemic in March, Williams said they were down to about eight or 10 kids total in three different buildings.

“Let me tell you what, trying to pay rent on three buildings and keep three staff members employed at 40 hours a week that was tough,” she said.

“I could have very easily laid everybody off and ran it myself. I got the PPP loan, which kept the girls working. Had I not got that, that’s exactly what I would have had to do, run it myself.”

But one positive of the pandemic? More time to do projects, like deep cleaning and painting, Williams said.

“I have painted a lot. I have spruced up the outside. I have done a lot of work and that is due to the PPP loan. The girls took over and I kind of bowed out of the picture and started doing a bunch of work,” Williams said.

Williams estimates that the daycare goes through double the amount of cleaning supplies as compared to before the pandemic.

Because everyone has been healthy so far, Williams said they have not had to close, but that she requires anyone to stay home if they have a fever.

“These kids have been healthy as horses,” she said.