GARDEN GROVE : Day Care Planned for Sick Children

Working parents faced with the dilemma of going to their jobs or staying home to care for mildly ill children may soon have a third alternative--a day-care center for sick kids.

Responding to parents who often have no choice but to lose a day’s pay while caring for their children, Soroptimists International of Garden Grove is attempting to raise money to establish Lollipop Lodge, a nonprofit day-care center for for mildly ill children ages 6 weeks to 12 years.

If the fund-raising drive goes as planned, the center will open in March, said Susan Ann Barry, a Garden Grove attorney and a spokesperson for the project.

The tentative plan calls for the center to operate from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., and care for 12 children daily.

Barry said the idea for the center was suggested by Soroptimist members Pat Halberstadt, who is also executive director of the Garden Grove Girls Club, and Lillian Nizinski.

“Both (Halberstadt and Nizinski) had encounters with parents who were told by doctors that their child had to stay home for the day, but who had to go to work,” Barry said.

She said project organizers are negotiating for the lease of a suite of offices near Garden Grove Medical Center, which has agreed to donate $18,400 for the initial rent and the cost of a nurse.

The Soroptimists are seeking contributions toward the center’s projected annual budget of $82,000.

“The cost to parents will be $25 a day, but there will also be a sliding scale based on ability to pay,” Barry said.

She added that the plan calls for hiring a full-time director--possibly a licensed vocational nurse--and two part-time aides. A nurse will be on the premises, and a pediatrician will be on call, Barry said.

Plans also call for Lollipop Lodge to have an activity room, a library, an infant room, a resting room and a small sun porch.

“We’re also accepting new toys, books, things that kids can use,” Barry said.

Those interested in making donations or otherwise helping out can call Barry at (714) 530-6111, or write the Soroptimists at P.O. Box 5282, Garden Grove, Calif. 92642.