releases: http://susanwbrooks.house.gov/media-center/in-the-news/us-rep-susan-brooks-visits-ymca-child-care-development-center
Data license: MIT · Data source: dwillis/congress-press
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| http://susanwbrooks.house.gov/media-center/in-the-news/us-rep-susan-brooks-visits-ymca-child-care-development-center | U.S. Rep. Susan Brooks visits YMCA Child Care Development Center | 2016-10-04 | 2016 | 2016-10 | Republican | House | IN | Susan Brooks | B001284 | susanwbrooks.house.gov | legacy | KOKOMO - U.S. Rep. Susan Brooks visited Kokomo Tuesday and toured the YMCA Child Care Development Center. Brooks, R-5th District, visited the center as part of a congressional initiative to offer quality, affordable child care to working families, especially those in poverty. Brooks met with YMCA Director Dave Dubois, Senior Program Director Ikeia Prince and Child Care Director Christie Tate. As they toured the center, Brooks talked about her personal experience with child care. Her children are now in their 20s, she said, and it’s been awhile since she’s been in an early childhood education center like the YMCA’s. Tate talked about some of the ways the center encourages students to learn. In the infant room, which can hold up to 10 babies, cribs are adorned with signs showing who can roll over on their own. In a class full of two-year-olds Tuesday, the children fed themselves yogurt, and the staff talked about how they focus on developing motor skills and muscle control. “Did you put that puzzle together?” Brooks asked students in a pre-K classroom. “Yeah. All by ourselves.” one student said excitedly. Brooks asked Tate, Dubois and Prince several questions about the center and child care in the Kokomo area. She wanted to know whether there are enough centers to meet the needs of area families. Tate said there are several different options, including licensed facilities like the YMCA’s, in-home care and ministry centers, and she stressed that different families have different needs and price ranges. The YMCA center costs $160 a week, but about 50 percent of families receive some type of assistance or pay no fees at all, Tate said. Their ability to offer assistance depends on funding from the Child Care Development Fund, a federal program that assists low-income families in getting child care. Parents who receive vouchers from the Children’s Bureau for a child to attend the center have to meet various requirements, Tate said, including one stating their child must be present at the center at least 20 hours a week. Tate said she and her staff try to help families as much as possible. If she knows a family needs assistance with clothing or groceries, she has a list of resources, such as The Salvation Army or Kokomo Urban Outreach, to share with families. Helping families is a way to help the kids, she said. “If we’re taking care of the parents, we’re taking care of the kids,” she said. Dubois said the YMCA also offers a number of resources for families, and they never turn anyone away because they can’t afford it, he said. “I’m a big fan of the Y,” Brooks added. | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z |