WAHOO, Neb. — Daycare owners in Wahoo are skipping their own paychecks to cover mounting expenses and provide a necessary service for their growing community.
Liz Lacy and Rachel Moline, owners of Everyday Adventure Child Care, face plenty of necessary expenses on top of specific state regulations.
While I was there, a delivery driver dropped off supplies like markers and Band-Aids, the owners said little expenses quickly add up. Other costs include an app used to update parents about their children and purchasing almost 30 gallons of milk every other week.
"Some people think child care centers they make so much money because they charge so much but truly we don’t," Lacy said.
Big payments are impossible to avoid. Liability insurance costs the business $3,000 to $5,000 a year.
The biggest challenge is payroll. State rules require certain staffing levels, such as a ratio of one adult to four children in the infant room.
Lacy said she sometimes has to skip her own paycheck to make sure employees get paid.
As a mother of two, Lacy said the service they provide means a lot, especially in a smaller area.
"You see that kids truly love to be here or parents love dropping their kids off here that’s what makes it all worth it," Lacy said.
When asked what would happen if daycare businesses in the area did not exist, Lacy highlighted the impact on the community.
"I think people would move they really wouldn't have a choice because they either wouldn't have child care or they would have to change their family dynamic," Lacy said.
Lacy and Moline are happy to see a new daycare in town. There are now five total daycares in Wahoo, which attracts parents from many less populated spots in Saunders County.
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