Business and Day Care

25 Years of Caring - Via Christi's on-site day care is rarity in Wichita

BY PHYLLIS JACOBS GRIEKSPOORThe Wichita Eagle

"A snail! A snail! I found a snail!"

It's not exactly what you expect to hear on a summer morning when you stop by a day-care center.

But it created quite a stir at the Via Christi Child Development Center this week, where some of the "summer rec" students were analyzing pond water under a microscope .

The center, founded 25 years ago out of a need to attract and retain workers during a severe nursing shortage, continues to be a powerful recruiting and retention tool today.

"They have a great program, and it really works well for their employees," said Teresa Rupp, director of the Child Care Association of Wichita and Sedgwick County.

The center, located on Via Christi Regional Medical Center's St. Francis Campus, provides child care and early childhood education at subsidized rates for employees of Via Christi Health System.

During the school year, its students range in age from 2 weeks to 6 years old. During the summer and for a week at Christmas, there also are special programs for elementary school children.

This month, the center is celebrating 25 years of continuous operation as an employer-subsidized child care center, something still rare in Wichita.

"I can't think of another center quite like Via Christi's," Rupp said.

There are some other employer-run day cares in Wichita. Cessna Aircraft operates a center for trainees at its 21st Street facility. Wichita State University has a center for students and faculty, and McConnell Air Force Base offers a child development center.

Other businesses offer a pre-tax savings plan for child care expenses and in some cases provide matching funds for the money employees put into those accounts.

"Overall, you have businesses recognizing the need to help but choosing a method short of offering a center," Rupp said.

Back when the Via Christi center first opened, employer-sponsored day care was a concept getting a lot of attention. But over the next decade, most businesses opted not to run day-care centers.

"There are a number of problems," Rupp said. "If you're a very large employer, it's hard to have enough space for everybody. So you wind up with some employees getting a benefit that others don't."

"Then you have the fact that most businesses don't have experience at running a day care. It's not what they do, and it's difficult to do well and to make money."

Via Christi's program has endured largely because of a strong commitment from the religious orders that sponsor Via Christi -- the Sisters of St. Joseph and the Sisters of the Sorrowful Mother -- said director Beverly Adams.

"We've had very strong support from our administration," she said. "It's part of the mission."
With space for about 180 children, the center has a short waiting list, generally for infants, Adams said.

The center caters to the needs of hospital workers. For example it offers a longer day -- 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. --to accommodate 12-hour shifts and provides two-day minimum use for a slot. Its rates of between $107 and $162 a week are below today's Wichita market average for centers.

"We try to make this as friendly and as accessible to our employees as possible," Adams said.
"We foster a real family atmosphere and a sense of community."