Responding to Family Needs

Notorious sourpuss W.C. Fields was once asked if he liked children.

“I do,” he replied, “if they’re properly cooked.”

Only the crustiest curmudgeon would bah-humbug at the notion that kids are a wonderful element of any family or community. Yet for lower-income parents or single parents of any income level, the constant need to care for young children does create a logistical dilemma: If a parent needs to work outside the home to earn a living, what to do with the kids all day?

As it has in so many areas, the city of Thousand Oaks is addressing this challenge in a commendable way. Today from 1 to 4 p.m., the city invites the public to an open house at its new Thousand Oaks Child Care Center, at 110 Conejo School Road.

The center will offer part- or full-time care and preschool programs for up to 106 children, more than half of them from low-income families. The shiny new facility has indoor and outdoor play areas, learning consoles, places for naps and quiet time and cribs for infants.

It has taken five years to reach this milestone.

In 1994 the city commissioned a study to assess the community’s child-care needs and discovered a significant demand for additional affordable services. As a start, in 1996 the city launched a program for up to 56 children at the privately run Roots & Wings child-care center on Calle Tulipan. A state grant of $230,000 allowed the city to relocate and expand its program. Future state subsidies are expected to keep the program operating at little or no cost to city taxpayers.

With an outstanding library, performing arts center, youth council and facilities for senior citizens, Thousand Oaks has a strong tradition of responding to the needs of the full spectrum of its residents. The new child care center should help many Thousand Oaks families solve the problem of how to hold a job without spending most of each paycheck on baby-sitters. Removing that complication could be just enough of a boost to help those families grow stronger and more prosperous--a benefit for child, parent and community alike.