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‘Little Eagles’ Soar: New
child care center to fill
gaps
by RYLEIGH NORGROVE - ryleigh@chronicle1909.com — on March 30, 2023
BLUE RIVER — During the heat and challenge of the
Holiday Farm Fire, which flattened 173,393 acres of
rural Lane County in 2020, McKenzie High School
emerged as a safe space — a hub for families, friends
and community members to gather, grieve, and lean
on each other.
The unincorporated community has continued the
slow, tenuous process of rebuilding, and this week,
the McKenzie School District celebrated a big win —
opening the McKenzie Little Eagles Child Care
Center. The Center is expected to not only fill a gap
for families after the Holiday Farm Fire, but to attract
new families to the area.
“After the fire it became very clear to us that we
were going to need to provide some form of child
care to retain and recruit new families,” said Lacey
Joy, MSD’s special programs coordinator. “Being able
to offer this is huge — not just for the families using
the services, but for the families I was able to hire
and bring in to work here. We were able to bring in
six new employees, which is huge for this
community.”
Before now, there were no licensed childcare
facilities within the district’s boundaries, making it
tough for families to return to work after the COVID-
19 pandemic and the lingering impacts of the
Holiday Farm Fire.
“As child care is essential for working families, this
will be a fantastic resource for the regrowth of this
community,” said Jessica Marie, director of the child
care center. “I’m thrilled for this opportunity.”
This Center will offer young students safe spaces
that allow children to learn, both through education
and socially, and will provide a safe place for families
to begin their early childhood education.
“This program introduces the kids to the McKenzie
school long before they ever enter the doors as a
kindergartner,” Joy said. “Being able to care for these
kids, potentially from two all the way to 17 is
incredible. … We were in a child care desert up here,
and now, families are excited to have a space that is
safe for their children. We’re the perfect organization
to provide care.”
The District has been working hard to provide quality
education and support to families in the Blue River
area, raising $420,000 from local donors to
spearhead the project.
“Our community was devastated by the 2020 fires,
and our families have been struggling to get back on
their feet,” said Lane Tompkins, McKenzie schools
superintendent. “We recognize the need for reliable
and affordable childcare in our community, and we
see this as a way to build back and attract new
Eagles.”
Lane County government officials last week
awarded the center $200,000 in grants to help
offset costs and pay for staff.
“We were lucky to have the school survive,” said
Heather Buch, Lane County Commissioner for the
McKenzie area. “Child care is critical, and this project
is a partnership between the school system and the
County — so that when people move back here, they
can be a success.”
The county dollars are coming from back tax
revenues specifically for fire-damaged areas to
recoup the losses in property taxes they felt after
the fire.
“This is an unincorporated community, so there isn’t
a council or government beyond what the county
provides,” said Matt McRae, the county’s long-term
disaster recovery manager. “So the the school
district really does provide that organizing capability.
We wouldn’t be nearly as far as we are now without
all the work from the school.”
Many of the new hires for the center are working
mothers – something Joy is incredibly proud of – and
will bolster the local economy.
“They’re all local moms,” Joy said. “They get to be
with their kids, while they work and have adequate
and reliable child care – each of them has a child in
the age range we’re serving, and as a mother, that’s
the greatest gift, to be with your kids.”
Angie Smith, parent, said she wouldn’t be able to
work if it weren’t for the childcare center. She’s
excited that her three-year-old daughter will get to
play and learn with others while getting better
prepared for school.
“When the fire happened up here a lot of residents
left, and that included a lot of day care providers that
were up here, people with small children,” Smith said.
“Coming back into this area, a lot of residents are
moving back again, and now needing these childcare
options so they can start working, and start building
this community back again.”