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Baxter center shares new view of child care
It takes a lot for a mother or father to break away from a crying, clinging child and go to work strapped with feelings of guilt and betrayal. For some parents, a phone call to the center reassuring them that their child is fine helps them get through the day. Soon, however, parents who take their young ones to the New Baxter Child Care Center won't have to rely on that phone call. Instead, they'll be able to log onto a computer and watch their child play, eat, sleep and interact with other children and adults at the center. Beginning Feb. 1, Baxter Child Care will activate the GuardianCam system. It allows parents with access to the Internet to watch live video of their children at the center. "We look at this as a way not only to reassure parents that their children are OK but also to enhance the security of our center," said Susie Cockrum, assistant director at Baxter. Cameras have been installed in each classroom, as well as in the gymnasium-cafeteria, to allow parents to view their children throughout the day. Kimberly McClure, the center's executive director, said the system is the first of its kind at a Pueblo day-care center. "We've been thinking about it for seven or eight months and we finally decided to go with it," she said. "We found that it would not only be good for parents but also for us here at the center. We could be sitting in the office and log on and check any of our classrooms at any time during the day." McClure said parents who want to participate in the project will be required to log onto the system with a user name and a password assigned only to them. The parents will be allowed to view only the room their child is in. The system will allow parents away on a business trip to view the children via the Internet. The system does not include audio transmission. "Right now, we have a father who is in the military and they don't know when he might be back," she said. "He will be able to . . . see what his children are doing." Cockrum said parents can share their password with relatives elsewhere. Cockrum said another advantage is for parents to see how their children behave in the day-care setting and their interaction with other children and adults. "Many times a parent will bring in a child who is throwing a tantrum and we tell them that as soon as they leave the room, the child is OK," she said. "Now those parents can see for themselves that their child is fine once they are gone." McClure said the feedback from parents has been great. "Parents are really excited about getting it going," she said. "As a matter of fact, we've enrolled five families as a result of getting this system." McClure said parents will be allowed to participate in the program for free, at least for the time being. "To begin with, we are going to try to pay for the cost (approximately $900 per month) ourselves," she said. "If it gets to the point where we can't afford to do that, then we may ask the parents to help us with it. But for right now, it's going to be free. We feel this the least we can do to help parents feel comfortable about leaving their children with us." |
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One
of the hardest tasks for most working parents is leaving their child at a day care
center.
