MACON, Ga. — Thanks to a grant provided by the Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning, parents in Central Georgia now have childcare options that are open outside normal hours.
The Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning chose six nonprofits and government recipients to fund with a grant. The money was used to support childcare facilities to open outside the traditional Monday through Friday, from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Atrium Health Navicent is one of them. They received $750,000 which they used to fund seven childcare centers- two in Milledgeville and five in Macon.
Joy Moten-Thomas, the assistant vice president for government relations with Atrium Health Navicent, said there were no centers in Macon-Bibb or Baldwin County outside of traditional hours before the grant.
"Childcare is available for parents who work an eight to five, and the parents who have to or choose to work second or third shift doesn't get that same amount of love," Moten-Thomas said.
They used their grant funds to give childcare providers seed funding to help them transition to non-traditional hours.
"That would help entice them to stay open and then that funding was actually used to help them buy the supplies and things that they needed to start offering childcare after 6 p.m.," Moten-Thomas said.
Keonna Whipple said that's helpful for parents who work from 3:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. like her.
"You just don't wanna send your child out with anyone. You wanna have them safe and protected, and in the best of care," Whipple said.
She said in the past, she's had to run late to work or miss it completely due to the lack of childcare. She said parents need consistent coverage they can count on.
"It's hard finding consistency and dependable babysitters cause you never know what someone else got going on, or how their schedule might be that day," Whipple said.
The centers are:
Care-A-Lot Learning Center
4433 Roundfield Road, Macon, GA 31204
Monday through Friday, 6 a.m. to midnight
478-746-3702
High Excellence Learning Too
4433 Roundfield Road Macon, GA 31210
Extended hours: 3 p.m. to midnight
478-259-7647
Little Disciples Daycare
3700 Lawrence Drive, Macon, GA 31216
Extended hours: 6 p.m. to midnight, and Saturday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
478-256-2719
Riverside Children's Center
735 Pierce Avenue, Macon, GA 31204
Extended hours: Saturday and Sunday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
478-259-6522
Tiny Tot's Learning Academy
3887 Houston Avenue
Extended hours: 2 p.m. to midnight
478-238-4634
Miller Plaza Learning Center
820 North Wayne Street, Milledgeville, GA 31061
Monday through Sunday 6 a.m. to midnight
Main: 478-451-0012
Cell: 478-414-1039
Robin's Nest Playschool
1870 Vinson Highway, Milledgeville, GA 31061
Extended hours: 3 p.m. to midnight