American Ambulance partnering with teachers to form day care centers
Photo credit: Kara Reece, American Ambulance Communications Coordinator
Right now, there are a lot of kids home from school, and a lot of parents struggling to find and afford child care.
Workers with American Ambulance in the Central Valley don't have to worry about that anymore.
The business partnered with teachers and local churches, saving the day so paramedics can save lives.
Kara Reese, the Communications Coordinator for American Ambulance, sent out a survey to employees in the Central Valley, asking whether anyone needed help with child care because of school closures.
She says 55 employees responded "yes."
"It's kind of the least we can do to provide them assurance that their kids will have a place to go, so that they can come to work and continue to take care of our community, continue to make money, which is a concern for a lot of people in this community and everywhere right now."
The HR Department realized they could kill two birds with one stone -- or, rather, help two career fields with one program.
The team decided to hire teachers to take care of American Ambulance employees' kids.
Ben Wiele, the Operations manager for American Ambulance, was in charge of finding the churches to house those daycares.
"They're credentialed teachers - they have access to resources none of us have, so they're able to print off a lot of worksheets."
Reese says 125 teachers responded, some even saying they would run the daycare for free.
"It's been really cool to see the community step up and, without hesitation be ready to take care of each other at this time."
There are two daycares -- one set up at First Presbyterian Church in Downtown Fresno, and the other at Koinonia Church in Hanford.
Whether you're a student or a teacher, the first thing you have to do everyday when you get to the church is check in, and check up. Each day, people sign a waiver and then get a quick medical screening, checking for your temperature and any other possible symptoms, before you can go into the daycare.
"Get some learning done, and see some familiar faces, outside of being cooped up in the home all day. it's a really good thing for the students, and it's a really good thing for our employees, too - it provides some stability for them as well," said Wiele.
The sect of the American Ambulance here in the Valley created this program for local families - it isn't a national thing.
But, the folks Marie spoke with for the story say they're hoping to change that.
