MONROE — Rainbow Childcare has a long history as a cornerstone of childcare in Monroe, serving local families for more than four decades.
In 1977, a group of Monroe residents organized, incorporated and licensed Monroe Community Child Care. The center is now called Rainbow Childcare of Monroe, Inc., a group childcare center licensed for 148 infants, toddlers and preschool-age children at its brightly-painted location at 2709 6th St. There’s room for an additional 50 school-age children in its before- and after-school program at Parkside Elementary School.
Besides being a community mainstay, Rainbow offers an experienced staff: The staff at Rainbow has an average of 10 years of longevity and experience, and each teacher is fully trained, said Rainbow’s administrator, Kristine Hartwig. Rainbow follows a play-based curriculum to enhance children’s development.
“Rainbow is a very dependable center that provides a safe, nurturing environment for children to learn and grow,” Hartwig said.
Witnessing the growth that takes place at Rainbow — whether it be children accomplishing a task or learning a new skill, or infants learning to crawl and then walk — is Hartwig’s favorite part of working with children and their families. “I also like to watch the teachers learn and grow into their position. We learn and grow together,” she said.
She stressed the importance of early childhood education in the development of children and their futures, and emphasized that early childhood teachers should be viewed as professionals. “They are providing experiences for children to grow into well-adjusted, confident adults,” she said.
The small teacher-to-child ratios can create a cycle that makes it hard to pay teachers what they are worth, Hartwig said. For example, a center must have one teacher per four children under the age of 2. That keeps staffing costs high. “But if our charges are too high, then families will not enroll and if we do not charge a higher rate, then we are not able to hire educated staff at a decent wage,” she said. “I wish that there was some state funding to help childcare centers meet their needs financially.”
To help offset costs, any financial help to childcare is greatly appreciated, Hartwig said. Rainbow is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) and donations are tax deductible. She said it is also helpful if community embers help advocate for state funding.
Ultimately, helping childcare helps the entire community.
“Childcare gives a family a sense of relief that while they are at work, their children are being well taken care of,” Hartwig said. “It provides businesses with a dependable work force and helps the community prosper.”
