5. Select In-state Example of a Successful Nonprofit Model

Hardy County Child Care Center: Community-led Solutions

In 1998, several groups came together to open the Hardy County Child Care Center (HCCC) to meet the demand for child care services in the region. At the time, employers were having significant problems with low productivity and high absenteeism among workers, largely driven by child care issues. The Hardy County Rural Development Authority (RDA) secured funding to purchase a building in Moorefield, West Virginia – ARC dollars coupled with matching funds from local partners – and a nonprofit child care provider was placed in the facility. The founders of HCCC opted for a nonprofit provider because such entities have access to financial support, in the form of grants, tax exemption benefits, and public funding and assistance programs, that may otherwise be unavailable for private for-profit businesses (See “Operating a Nonprofit versus For-profit ADS Center” under section 4.7). HCCC is a Tier II provider and currently licensed to care for 132 infants and children, including 36 infants and toddlers and 96 children – the program is for children ages 6 weeks through the fifth grade [229]. 

HCCC is supported by the Hardy County RDA and West Virginia University Extension Services. Additional partners include the Town of Moorefield, Hardy County Commission, Hardy County Schools, Hardy County Health Department, parents, community members, and local businesses and organizations, including American Woodmark, Mountaineer Food Bank, Pilgrim’s Pride, Sheetz, Summit Financial Group and others. HCCC partners support the Center through financial contributions, in-kind services and technical expertise, including providing maintenance, accounting and financial services, donating food items and preparing meals. The HCCC volunteer board of directors is composed of representatives from the community, businesses, and local government and organizations. Depending on the Center’s finances, employees receive a bonus at the end of the year – a rare benefit among child care providers. HCCC’s successful model inspired other communities in the state to adopt the same approach, including in Jefferson County, which has opened a child care facility based on the Hardy County model.

Suggestions and Policy Considerations

According to a HCCC representative, the keys to success in the child care business are (1) asking if there is a need or gap in services in a given region and what can be done to address it, (2) having access to a mix of public and private funding sources, (3) involving different partners in the early stages of the planning process and (4) securing a champion(s) to lead the overall effort. The representative also recommends that the state put forward new rules and regulations outlining how child care businesses could provide special care for Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS) babies, including evidence-based practices, programs tailored to the needs of NAS babies, non-pharmacological interventions or supportive care and staff training requirements. Current rules offer no guidance or protocols on how providers can best care for and meet the needs of infants with NAS.