By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
The good news continues for Stafford County organizations. A day after Gov. Laura Kelly's office announced the Port Authority would receive $25 million for its rail-served transload facility project, ChildCare Aware of Kansas announced it was providing a $30,000 grant to help fund affordable childcare in the county. Economic Development Director Ryan Russell said the money has already been earmarked.
"Most of it's going to be going toward the Stafford school," he said. "They have an in-school daycare they started at the beginning of the school year. That's to help supplement salaries and to do some educational materials and a few other things. Superintendent Corey Reece has done a great job of leading the way in Stafford's in-school daycare and had written and was awarded a Patterson Family Foundation grant toward the beginning of the school year."
Some of the money will also be used for the daycare facility in St. John.
"We rent out the facility but we're not breaking records on how much we charge and we're not making money, that sort of thing," Russell said. "Getting some supplemental grants to help cover some of those expenses is really helpful."
Rural Champion Sarah Hampton has been leading the charge for childcare in Stafford County this year. ChildCare Aware of Kansas, based in Salina, works to make the early care and education system better for children, families, child care providers, and the communities they serve.