[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6542195,"mediaKeyId","3626502-405e7a1693bb346e4af717d7edab9ef0","parentId",3626502,"title","Partnership of ASH warns of childcare staffing crisis; Mount Jefferson center seeks staff and board members","audioSeconds",2091,"startMs",677000,"endMs",2768000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3626502-405e7a1693bb346e4af717d7edab9ef0&start=677&end=2768","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3626502-405e7a1693bb346e4af717d7edab9ef0/thumbnail_677000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6542195/Ashe-County/North-Carolina/Partnership-of-ASH-warns-of-childcare-staffing-crisis-Mount-Jefferson-center-seeks-staff-and-board-members","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6542195-9dd12597b2d9f146697425dcb88dd982/orig.mp4?Expires=1771122865&Signature=BWU1gmxQ-iIAIFmmGjroCZUU56QfPhfwfcQr6W5PXHlRH1i3XtOmtnpa8LZlQ-SM-bdzw5ynzhLaMDLhdYq-IGOuuQmi7f7fhULEAT1jXj~3YQLzxhlu7MlKoXrataNSnacrd7zTeccAIO7bryPrpjzzzn8pjFBelgvrskQqmasNMhFCHACo9FlB27E0f7cecSd5h7qq2xzDqIEsPlKbs~koATAcrhwilB91Lwy~9wlhb2vlsgLRqXdaEhfik4FOX4w9YuFDPjskxvpOSMdDiKjfEcocXgoEHtSwJkdpDY7lwBlCXe3f3MYsDUNFaVDTuNUpsf9JgqWOLWGqXZ-bMw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Ashe County","date","2025-06-02T00:00:00Z","article","Kim, director of the Partnership of ASH, told the Ashe County Board of Commissioners on June 2 that the county faces a significant childcare staffing shortage and that Mount Jefferson Child Development Center needs additional staff and board members to expand capacity.

“Mount Jefferson Child Development Center has full time enrollment of 62 children,” Kim said. The center serves children aged about 6 weeks to 5 years and is currently led by a three-member board: Mary Jo Black, Michelle Lemley and Chandra Phillips. Mount Jefferson’s center director is Karen Wolford. Kim said the center has enough staff to operate at current capacity but could serve an additional 30 children — increasing full enrollment to 92 — if it can hire more teachers and assistants. She said the center currently employs about six staff members.

Kim described countywide shortages: “Over 250,” she said, when asked how many children are on waiting lists. Presenters said many centers are operating at roughly half capacity because they lack staff; centers reported difficulty retaining workers because childcare wages are often below local living standards and because stabilization funds that had supported centers during earlier years are no longer available.

Kim outlined training and incentive programs the Partnership and partners are providing: the Partnership has offered more than 45 training courses this year and works with Wilkes Community College to provide affordable EDU 119 and early childhood credential courses. The Partnership offers financial incentives for education: $250 per semester for two-year programs and $500 per semester for four-year programs via application, contingent on a minimum B grade in courses. Kim said the EDU 119 course can be condensed into shorter formats for expedited training.

Kim also flagged proposed state policy changes and funding. She said the state budget includes a proposed $7,500,000 nonrecurring allocation for Smart Start Partnerships to expand mental and behavioral health services for children, families and staff. She also spoke about House Bill 412, which would introduce a new rating system and, in some provisions, raise allowable staff-to-child ratios for certain age groups — a change Kim and local providers said they find concerning for infant/toddler care. “For instance, for children 2 to 4 babies, increases the number from 10 to 15 children that you can have a classroom,” Kim said, describing the possible change and its implications for care quality.

Commissioners asked about staffing, substitute pools and whether volunteers could help. Kim said volunteers and substitutes must meet the same qualification and background-check requirements as paid staff. She said the Partnership pays for background checks and fingerprinting for candidates and can teach the EDU 119 course locally. Commissioners and several attendees discussed consolidation of facilities, possible relocation of centers from sites with poor parking and access, and industry-sponsored childcare options for shift workers; presenters said some employers have supported employee childcare slots.

Kim and others noted an ongoing conversation with state leaders about universal prekindergarten; a county staff member and local educators are engaged in discussions about bringing universal pre-K to the county. Kim also credited a partnership with GE Aerospace for part of Mount Jefferson’s award-winning programming and emphasized that sustainable solutions will require higher wages and benefits for childcare staff, which most centers cannot pay from current fee structures.

ENDING: The Partnership of ASH urged the county to support training and funding initiatives, to consider consolidation where appropriate, and to work with employers and state programs to expand affordable, stable childcare capacity across Ashe County.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Ashe County - County Commission on 2025-06-02 9:00 AM - Jun 02, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Kim, director of the Partnership of ASH, told the Ashe County Board of Commissioners on June 2 that Mount Jefferson Child Development Center is serving 62 children and could expand to 92 if it hires more staff, while the countywide childcare waiting list exceeds 250 children.","taxTitle","Ashe County, North Carolina","taxId",45072,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6542198,"Ashe County approves up to $45,000 from insurance proceeds for Riverview Community Center electrical design after flood damage",1616,2784000,4400000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3626502-405e7a1693bb346e4af717d7edab9ef0&start=2784&end=4400","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3626502-405e7a1693bb346e4af717d7edab9ef0/thumbnail_2784000.jpg","/articles/6542198/Ashe-County/North-Carolina/Ashe-County-approves-up-to-45000-from-insurance-proceeds-for-Riverview-Community-Center-electrical-design-after-flood-damage","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6542198-c357de2f8538b4531d0d12c08801480e/orig.mp4?Expires=1771122865&Signature=HFxyHgbFVkXvPYTzMpLoPA0UviV714vCJGB0FqxIxu5JEA-NWcSCyoNLtu4EXMT8ZbKH~XCQS~8meLdxXuxt7Wk84dq0K~E7HAbg-~T61uCQLxJG2L~f17XnE1FiK-8435-1Ap12pSuPx-q7IQ7A~qiPIUqTFTCi0mchaQgDJ9ZFC2-06Cx~M5Xfc5j6zDIvGa8emJFSl-FXzvgMrsZELzqw0LBQVSGas4SAO4GZZWsd5vgjrItVmMUF3YXfvsk1drI7L2p17WTwSCc-Grnp9ITFxZN2rMl35Bn~o8txiWm8v5~palQwVb~jna-bJ6wqV0gDaAEhaxSFPoh46D9KXg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Ashe County Board of Commissioners on June 2 approved up to $45,000 from insurance proceeds to pay for an electrical engineering design for the flood-damaged Riverview Community Center.

The request came from Steve Trinkle, a recent board member with the Riverview Community Center, who said the center — a county-owned facility that provides food distribution, a thrift shop, a hair salon and community events for the county’s western half — remains unsafe in parts after Hurricane Helene. “The greatest risk to the Riverview Community Center right now is in the electrical system,” Trinkle said. \"We gotta fix the electrical. We have to fix that.\" The county asked the consulting firm Clark Nexon to produce a design, and Trinkle said Clark Nexon quoted $38,000; commissioners amended and approved the request at a not-to-exceed $45,000 to allow a modest contingency.

The center’s volunteers and board members described extensive recovery work already completed, including water and septic repairs, replacement of propane heaters and removal of mud and damaged materials. But presenters said the building’s underground conduit is filled with mud and water and will likely require complete replacement to meet code. The board was told the building is about 75 years old, that cosmetic work does not address aging infrastructure and that a more extensive repair package or relocation would be costly.

Patty, speaking for county staff, said the building has not been declared “substantially damaged” by FEMA — a threshold that would trigger federal acquisition or elevation programs. “In order for FEMA to come in and do an acquisition project, the building ... has to be damaged more than 50% of the value. So we have to show $2,400,000 of damage. When the floodplain administrator went out, I think he said it was 30%,” Patty said. County presentations put the facility valuation at $4,800,000 and noted FEMA requires damages above $2,400,000 to qualify for certain assistance. County staff said they are pursuing documentation that could add engineering costs to the measured damages and potentially change FEMA’s determination, but stressed that a substantial-damage declaration would require demolition or elevation if achieved.

Presenters laid out a set of options: (1) limited maintenance and repairs to keep the building functional for the near term; (2) longer-term replacement on higher ground, a process that would likely take five years or more to acquire land, design and build; or (3) a hybrid approach keeping the gym while rebuilding other parts. Trinkle said a full repair estimate could exceed available insurance funds and suggested $500,000 is a plausible low-end figure for required repairs beyond the electrical work; a roof repair estimate cited in the presentation was about $105,000.

Commission discussion focused on the scope of the electrical design contract, competitive bidding and whether the county should fund engineering from insurance proceeds. Trinkle said the firm had been on-site and was already engaged on related work; commissioners chose to authorize the contract to the county and limit the authorization to $45,000. A motion to approve the engineering contract, funded from insurance proceeds, was made, amended to a not-to-exceed $45,000 limit, seconded and approved by voice vote.

Next steps described by presenters include completing the electrical design, using those documents to solicit bids from electrical contractors, and returning to the board with specific repair estimates and additional funding requests as necessary. Presenters asked commissioners to coordinate when seeking state and federal assistance and to consider long-term options for moving or replacing the facility.

The Riverview Community Center’s leaders asked the public to continue supporting volunteer-run operations, including a regular fish fry that resumed quickly after the building reopened for events.

ENDING: The county approved the engineering design step to address immediate life-safety concerns; further repairs or a replacement facility will require additional engineering, bidding and capital funding decisions over coming months.","The Ashe County Board of Commissioners on June 2 approved up to $45,000 from insurance proceeds to pay for an electrical engineering design for the flood-damaged Riverview Community Center.","actionData","errors"]

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Partnership of ASH warns of childcare staffing crisis; Mount Jefferson center seeks staff and board members

Ashe County approves up to $45,000 from insurance proceeds for Riverview Community Center electrical design after flood damage