by Tom Racunas
Special to The Leaven
ROELAND PARK — The quaint Craftsman-style house here has a quintessential picket fence around the side yard.
Inside, five toddlers, ages 12 months to 3 years, are fast asleep for their afternoon nap.
Three infants (ages 6 to 12 months) are bright-eyed and all smiles as they are engaged with and cuddled by Amy and Katie, their two attentive caregivers.
The children are enrolled at Little Stags and Rams Daycare, a new service that is a collaboration between Bishop Miege High School and St. Agnes School, both in Roeland Park. Phil Baniewicz, Miege’s president, said he was approached last year by two teachers about the possibility of starting a day care for Miege staff.
He decided to explore the idea because, he said, “Over the years, we have seen great Catholic educators who come to a point where they have to step out of Catholic education because they have to pay so much for day care. We always want to keep good quality educators. This is a very pro-life thing. Let’s support our parents who are great educators by taking care of their kids.”
St. Agnes is both a feeder school to and just down the block from Bishop Miege. Surmising that there might be staff there who also needed child care, he approached the administration with the idea.
“They were quickly on board,” he said.
So, how to start? They knew that St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Overland Park had been providing a day care service for some time, so organizers contacted Aquinas staff for ideas and guidance.
The Little Saints Child Care Center at St. Thomas Aquinas was launched in 1998. Starting as a part-time teacher, Jennifer Toy has worked at the center for 17 years and is now the full-time director and one of four staff. The center, a large renovated classroom, is licensed by the state of Kansas as a day-school program. The program can serve 10 toddlers and 14 preschool children. The center is always at capacity.
The Miege campus was surveyed for suitable space but nothing was found. Father Pat Sullivan, pastor of St. Agnes, was approached about the possibility of using a parish-owned house across the street from the church. He quickly gave his full support to the idea.
Stephanie Holmes is the director of Little Stags and Rams. Holmes had directed a day care program for seven years before deciding to stay home with her younger children. Then, she took care of two children of Miege teachers in her home. Once the idea of starting a day care program at Miege began to take shape, Holmes said, “my name was thrown into the mix.”
Little Stags and Rams is licensed as an in-home child care program. It can serve a maximum of nine children, ages 6 months to 4 years. The service is at capacity.
These two day care programs are evidence of the value our faith places on the person and the family.
“It is the epitome of pro-life work,” as Holmes explains it. “God has brought me here. It is crucial for these teachers to be able to do the work that they are called to do. We have the opportunity to provide a loving and safe space for their children at an affordable rate. It is a perfect circle.”
Parents provide their young children an introduction to the faith. That early learning is supported at Little Stags and Rams. Prayers before meals, books, stories and songs about Jesus are part of the daily routine.
Mallorie Hurlbert is the Learning Resource director at Miege. Her son Huck attends the day care.
“It has been fantastic to keep my youngest close by,” said Hurlbert. “I have two older kids at Miege, so having them all in this community has been wonderful. Knowing that he is taken care of by people who treat him as their own means everything. It provides great peace of mind.”
Part of that peace of mind comes from the affordability as well, which eases financial stress. To pay for quality child care elsewhere would have cost her and her husband over $2000 per month.
“One of us would have had to take on additional employment,” said Hurlbert.
Making the connections in the community early is an added blessing.
“Huck will likely start kindergarten with the children that are in the day care now,” she said, “and possibly carry on through high school.”
Ellen Holzum is a second grade teacher at St. Agnes. Her only child, Isaac, is 11 months old. After being in the field of education for several years, Holzum knew that remaining in Catholic schools as opposed to public schools would mean a smaller paycheck.
But when she was told about the availability of day care, she knew that this was “directly provided by God to fill a need in our lives.”
“It is a testament to the church’s stance on life,” she continued. “It is joyful to teach at St. Agnes. Isaac has already become part of the community!”
Holzum attended the recent St. Agnes Fall Festival with Isaac and her husband. Students came up to Isaac and greeted him. He recognized them by returning a big smile!
