Mother's Morning Out Proposal

Proposal for Mother’s Morning Out Program
at Orange Presbyterian Church
From the board of the
Orange Presbyterian Weekday School

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This proposal is to request the renovations required to outfit Orange Presbyterian Church (OPC) to offer a Mother’s Morning Out program to the community. Improvements will bring the facility up to current building code in a manner that will emphasize both safety and aesthetics.

Orange Presbyterian Weekday School (OPWS) has received generous funding through government grants. One of the purposes of these grants is to expand program offerings to the community. OPWS would like to use some of this money to begin this new program.

What is Mother’s Morning Out?
The purpose of a Mother’s Morning Out program is to offer a flexible childcare opportunity for children 0-36 months in a caring and safe environment. The program will operate during preschool hours (Monday-Friday, 9:00am-Noon).

The proposed cost of the program is $25/day (with the possibility of a sibling discount) and sign-up will be on a first-come/first-served basis. Families will be asked to complete a registration once annually and will have to provide any documentation required by the Virginia Department of Education.

Staffing
Current Virginia Department of Education guidelines require a staff:child ratio of 1:4 for children 0-16 months. The ratio is based on the youngest child enrolled. So for the age range 0-26 months, the ration will be 1:4.

It is proposed that the program begin with two staff and a maximum of eight children. If the program proves to be very successful, additional staff may be hired at future time. It is proposed that staff will be paid similarly to the pay scale of current OPWS teachers.

To get the program going and gain momentum, it is proposed that the program run each day whether or not there are eight children present. For the first year of operation, OPWS can cover any gap between the income and expenses create by the program. All staff will be required to satisfy the requirements of the Virginia Department of Education.

Location
Requested for use are the Leland Lord Library (approximately 324 square feet) and the current Nursery (approximately 400 square feet). Renovations required to meet current building codes are as follows:

• Add an exit directly to the outdoors. Proposed is the conversion of one of the front window openings in the Leland Lord Library into a doorway. This is required to provide a safe exit for children who are not independently mobile. Caretakers will put non-walkers into safety cribs and wheel them outdoors in case of emergency (Estimated cost: $9,800)
• Remove all or part of the metal wall (appears to be temporary in nature) between the Leland Lord Library and the Nursery. This will provide a larger space for the children as well as clear sight lines for the caretakers
• Painting and touch-ups following construction.

 
Additional Facility Needs
OPWS plans to make use of any resources that are currently in the OPC nursery as well as OPWS. Only necessary purchases will be made, such as:

• Safety cribs required for safe evacuation of the building
• Changing table(s)
• Tables and chairs for snacks and activities
• Rocking chairs
  
  

Timeline
If approved, it is proposed that renovations take place during spring/summer 2023, with a program launch to coincide with the beginning of OPWS in September 2023.