Editor's Note: For many charitable organizations, the holiday season, like the rest of the year, is a time to connect people in need to solutions to some of life's toughest problems. It's also a great time to look out for your neighbors. That's why, in the week leading up to Christmas, we're using our "A Christmas Wish" series to showcase community members whose lives have been enriched by the work of United Way of Central Missouri partner agencies and, by extension, generous community members.
Although Little Explorers Discovery Center operates on a unique nonprofit model, the most important thing about it to parents like Jarissa and Clint Dickson is it runs just like any good child care center should.
"I trust them with my kids, every single worker that works here. They really care about their job," Jarissa Dickson said. "I don't think it's about the money to them; I think it's just about knowing that they help the kids."
The Dicksons' three daughters - Kayonna, 4; Ka'Liyah, 3; and Kamilah, 1 - all go to Little Explorers daily.
Their handful of young children can be "crazy sometimes," Dickson said. "Kayonna, she's more like the mom. Ka'Liyah, she's quiet. And Kamilah, she's the 'mean one'" - ornery, she clarified. "She only likes Diana," her teacher, the mom of three added.
The peace of mind that comes with knowing their children are in good hands allows the Dicksons to go to work every day - Jarissa at a call center in Jefferson City and Clint at a local McDonald's restaurant.
Little Explorers Discovery Center provides the same service for 96 children - with licensed capacity for up to 99 - and has been doing it for 50 years, when a group of parents from Church Women United started it in 1966 as Jefferson City Day Care Center.
The center at 1002 Myrtle Ave. announced the name change this past September, a nod to former agency director Rosalie Little as well as a clarification of its modern mission.
Little Explorers, an accredited early childhood program, is more than the simple babysitting "day care" implies, Executive Director Donna Scheidt said.
"As an accredited center, which is voluntary, we must meet stricter standards than our licensing standards," Scheidt explained. "For example, as a licensed center, the minimum requirement of a teacher is a person who is at least 18 years of age and has a high school diploma or GED. They do not have to have any experience or training. As an accredited center, the minimum requirement of a teacher is a person who is either CDA-certified or has a minimum of nine college credits in early childhood education."
The extra layer of quality assurance isn't lost on families, in the Dicksons' experience.
"They play with the kids, and they actually do stuff with them. They actually teach them stuff," Dickson said. "My daughter, she can write her name now. They just teach them a lot of stuff - like sign language. It shocked me with my 1-year-old. Here at the school, she won't talk to me; she's so ornery. So they taught her sign language, so she does sign language instead of talking."
Her children enjoy singing songs at the end of the day and bringing home artwork to fill their car and refrigerator door.
Funding support from the United Way of Central Missouri allows the center to offer its services on a sliding fee scale, meaning families pay anywhere from $65-150 per week for a child's care, depending on their income and family size.
"Some families pay the full cost because they do not need to be subsidized by the United Way, but many of our families are what we'd classify the 'working poor' - families who work either one or two jobs and make minimum wage or close to minimum wage," Scheidt said. "For these families, paying rent is often a real hardship; by the time you add expenses like utilities, groceries, transportation and child care, these expenses sometimes exceed a family's income."
Dickson agreed anyone in the low- to middle-income range who works, pays for day care and has other bills at home can benefit from what Little Explorers has to offer.
"They're excited to come here every day - even on the weekend. Saturday mornings they wake up super early like, 'Mom, can we go to school?'" Dickson said.