Observations all along the line - Kimball & the Southern Panhandle First
Observations all along the line - Kimball & the Southern Panhandle First
The former West Elementary property was purchased by Kimball Health Services earlier this summer, and are in the process of utilizing this additional space.
Kimball Heath Services, which recently purchased the West Elementary building, is looking for individual citizens or groups that would be willing to serve as director of the planned daycare to be opened inside of the building in the near future.
According to Stephanie Pedersen, Executive Assistant for Kimball Health Services, the hospital is looking for interested parties to submit business plans and letters of interest as soon as possible so they can start getting the daycare program off the ground.
"We need people to start submitting now so we can filter them through, interview them, get them through the process, make a decision, get them trained and get staff hired. The opening of the daycare would probably be January 2014," Pedersen said.
The hospital also has the option of turning management over to Volunteers for America-Western Nebraska, a human services organization based in Lewellen, Nebraska which focuses on five pillars including meeting basic needs, community enhancement, a ministry of service, health promotion, and early learning programs. The organization currently already manages the Early Learning Center in Potter.
"We have the opportunity to go with them, and they would manage it. They would hire the director, do the pay roll and oversee it. Regardless if we go with them or if an individual from the community decides to do it, we still have to form a board and get all that done," Pedersen said.
Interested parties should take into account that the hospital desires for the daycare to be run strictly as a not-for-profit operation, according to Director of the Kimball Hospital Foundation and Community Relations Kerry Ferguson.
"It's important that people realize that we want this to be a not-for-profit community daycare. It's open to anybody. We have the option of going with Volunteers of America to run it, who would hire a director, or we could turn it over to another entity that may want to run it in a not-for-profit fashion separate from Volunteers for America," Ferguson said.
According to Kimball Health Services CEO Ken Hunter, the hospital will have little involvement in the daycare after it gets up and running.
"The hospital’s involvement will be limited to providing space and the initial organization of an auxiliary board who will in turn manage the daycare," Hunter said.
Ferguson echoed this sentiment from the hospital stating that the hospital will take a stance of simply showing support for the daycare after management has been found.
"We just want to get the ball rolling and then let someone else pick that ball up and run with it with our support," Ferguson said.
Interested parties in either serving as the director of the daycare or working under the management of Volunteers of America can send business plans and letters of interest to Stephanie Pedersen at Kimball Health Services.