Bullhead City offers child care for school district employees

BULLHEAD CITY — Those working within the Bullhead City School District now have a new option for child care with the opening of an on-site employee child care center at the district's Coyote Canyon School.

Officially part of the Early Learning Center, the new employee child care option opened ahead of the start of this school year as a way to recruit and retain employees who may be concerned about affordable child care in the area.

“This is a benefit to the staff, the district and the entire community,” school district board president Melinda Sobraske said in a statement. “Employees from all six campuses can drop their children off before school, pick them up after school, and know that they’re safe — and learning — while the parents are working for the district.”

There has been immense interest in the program since it was initially approved earlier this year. Within days of the initial approval, every first-round slot was filled by new and returning employees in the school district, and it expects to have more children enrolled later this year, Superintendent Carolyn Stewart said in a news release.

Michele Leyendecker, the new care center's coordinator, previously spent years overseeing the early childhood program at Mohave High School.

Children will be placed in classrooms designated for infants, toddlers or preschoolers and paid for by employees through payroll deductions. All staff members at the center must pass thorough criminal background checks from the Arizona Department of Public Safety.

Reach the reporter at LLatch@gannett.com.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Bullhead City School District opens child care center for staff