Kid Kare fills a need in Warraod

In the summer of 1995, I worked a three month internship at The Warroad Pioneer, which I'm sorry to say has since ceased operation. This was the first professional newspaper that I worked for in my career, and it turned out to be a wonderful experience. I had only worked at Bemidji State University's newspaper for about a year and half before landing the internship. At The Pioneer I gained experience in sports, feature, beat and government reporting. I designed pages, took and developed photographs and was responsible for community relations. The best part is that I remain friends with the owners nearly 30 years later.

Aug. 8, 1995

By Devlyn Brooks

It's difficult enough to deal with children at 6 a.m. when they are your own, but Janet Landby does this every day of the week with other people's children.

She is the supervisor for Warroad School District's Kid Kare program, which started last December.

Deb Landin, who oversees the program, conducted a survey last winter, which concluded that parents in the school district would use a school-operated child care program.

Landby said that the program is like many "latchkey programs" that parents have been familiar with for quite a while.

The program operates from 6 a.m. until the first bell of the school day, and from 2:45 p.m. after school until about 6:15 p.m.

Kid Kare is a "school-aged child care" program, said Landby. These programs are not a new concept, but this is the first that Warroad has ever adopted. She said that they have existed in the Twin Cities since the 1960s and '70s.

Like most other school-aged child care programs, Warroad's is under authority of the Community Education Department. So, ultimately, the program follows guidelines set by the Minnesota Department of Education.

There has to be a certified teacher on hand during the program's operation, and there is a set teacher-to-student ratio that must be met.

So, Landby advises that parents wanting to take advantage of the program this fall should call and register their child before Aug. 21. She said that they never turn anyone down. They just like to know how many children they will have so that they can schedule the appropriate number of staff for each day.

Drop-ins are welcome, Landby said, but a phone call 24 hours in advance is appreciated. Once again, the phone call will allow them to have the correct number of staff on hand.

"We try to keep the structure really loose," she said. "The children have a structured schedule all day. They need time to unwind also."

The kids can play games and do mostly what they want with their free time, but Landby said that they do stress that the child use some of the time to finish their homework.

The program provides mid-morning and afternoon snacks to the children. And, if a child needs to be anywhere for an appointment, the staff will provide transportation.

During these past summer months, Landby said that they have delivered children to golf lessons, baseball lessons, piano lessons and even took some children to the Warroad Summer Theatre.

The program has started out slow, Landby said, but she believes part of the reason is that the program is new. So not a lot of people know about it.

Although she said that during the afternoons this summer, the program has had up to 23 children.

There is a charge of $1.50 per hour for the first child of a family, and if there are more children there would be an additional charge of $1 an hour. So, for two children, it would cost $2.50 per hour.

Landby said that the program is not meant to compete with the local daycares.

"We're just trying to provide a service convenient for everyone," she said.

Parents interested in registering their children may call 386-3683 before Aug. 21.