The first day of the 2023-24 school year at Callaway Public School is a week from today, Aug. 17, and parents who have benefited from summertime teen babysitters, are about to lose their help. Luckily 7 Valley Kids Daycare is ready to step in and fill the void.

When last we checked in with the newly formed daycare they were in the process of filing the mountains of paperwork required for state certification. According to one of the founders of the daycare, Christie Pitkin, that has now been completed and as of Aug. 1 the daycare is an officially licensed facility.

Kendra Meyer, Chelsea Williams, Christie Pitkin, and Julianna Jenkins joined forces to help meet the demand for child care in Callaway in late May. In just two months' time the ladies have rearranged the Methodist Church parsonage to accommodate a dozen children, filed all of the necessary paperwork with the state, and hired staff to operate the new daycare.

Haylea Rynearson will serve as the director of 7 Valley Kids Daycare. She holds a degree in early childhood education from UNK and says she is eager to get back into the daycare environment.

Joining Rynearson on staff will be part-time employees Katie Mason and Meghan G’Schwind. “We will fill in with substitutes as we need to,” said Pitkin.

The 7 Valley Kids Daycare was recently awarded a grant

from the Custer County Foundation for the purchase of playground equipment. That has now been installed in the fenced-in backyard of the daycare.

Inside the parsonage, baby gates have been installed, toys and play stations have been added and pack-andplays are set up and ready to go. Pitkin explained the system that has been installed for checking in and picking up the kiddos.

“There is an iPad on the wall and each family will have their own code. They will just put their code in when their kiddo comes, and when the child leaves they put their code in to record the time,” she said.

Pitkin said the daycare also received a grant from the Department of Health and Human Services utilizing federal funds to purchase a large share of the toys and equipment for the daycare.

Hours for the daycare will be 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. The daycare is scheduled to open on Aug. 14.