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The Hope Space Giving Project
Daycare Supply Drive
We are excited to announce The Hope Space Giving Project- Daycare Supply Drive! We’ve created an avenue for individuals to purchase much needed supplies for Daycares located on the South side of Chicago. We wanted to find a way to directly support Black lives in our city. As well as help to fill a void in an area of the community that is vital to the well being of children and families in some of our most underserved neighborhoods. By purchasing supplies for the Providers, we save them the cost of doing so, allowing them to use those funds for their mortgage, bills, bringing back staff or any other needs they may have.
WHY ARE WE DOING IT?
In the majority of neighborhoods on the South and West sides, nannies, private tutors and the like are often not something families can afford. So although many families choose Daycare for the benefits that setting has to offer, they are more heavily relied upon in these areas due to their affordability. Daycares also provide so much more than childcare. They are responsible for meals, education, transportation, socialization, diapers and other basic needs. As well as providing a reliable, stable, safe, loving and nurturing environment for children to learn, grow and thrive. Many of the Daycare Providers I know are like family to the children they work with and they are an integral part of the child rearing process in their communities.
In the age of COVID-19, Daycares are being hit especially hard due to the fact that they received little to no funding through the CARES and HEROES Acts, after most were forced to close for around 3 months. Now that some are beginning to reopen, the demand is not as great and/or much needed current restrictions won’t allow them to reach capacity. All while their operating costs have increased due to the additionally needed PPE (of which they have received none from DCFS or the State), cleaning supplies and added time to properly disinfect. To summarize, after losing all of their revenue for months and receiving nowhere near enough aid, they aren’t making enough money to stay afloat, while spending more in overhead than they did pre-COVID. If you need more information, this article from the Huffpost explains the situation further: The Childcare Industry is About to Collapse. There’s No Bailout Coming.
This is a huge problem for underserved communities, because if too many Daycares are forced to close permanently, when the demand comes back, there won’t be enough providers operating to meet the demand. Furthermore, many essential workers live in these neighborhoods and if they can’t get childcare, they can’t go to work. Childcare is the workforce that is the foundation to the rest of the workforce.
Daycare can also be a safer option in this day and age, as many of the Home Centers only service 10-12 children or less a day and are required to adhere to very strict safety protocols and guidelines. So that naturally creates the recommended “pod” of cohorts, all from the same area and greatly limits exposure for families that have no other option or are simply seeking an alternative to school.
In the age of COVID-19, Daycares are being hit especially hard due to the fact that they received little to no funding through the CARES and HEROES Acts, after most were forced to close for around 3 months. Now that some are beginning to reopen, the demand is not as great and/or much needed current restrictions won’t allow them to reach capacity. All while their operating costs have increased due to the additionally needed PPE (of which they have received none from DCFS or the State), cleaning supplies and added time to properly disinfect. To summarize, after losing all of their revenue for months and receiving nowhere near enough aid, they aren’t making enough money to stay afloat, while spending more in overhead than they did pre-COVID. If you need more information, this article from the Huffpost explains the situation further: The Childcare Industry is About to Collapse. There’s No Bailout Coming.
This is a huge problem for underserved communities, because if too many Daycares are forced to close permanently, when the demand comes back, there won’t be enough providers operating to meet the demand. Furthermore, many essential workers live in these neighborhoods and if they can’t get childcare, they can’t go to work. Childcare is the workforce that is the foundation to the rest of the workforce.
Daycare can also be a safer option in this day and age, as many of the Home Centers only service 10-12 children or less a day and are required to adhere to very strict safety protocols and guidelines. So that naturally creates the recommended “pod” of cohorts, all from the same area and greatly limits exposure for families that have no other option or are simply seeking an alternative to school.
WHO ARE WE GIVING TO?
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We are starting with two Daycares that will be the first recipients of our supply drive! Val’s Daycare, located in the South Shore and Precious Hearts Daycare located in Calumet Park. Both are Home Centers and are owned and operated by incredible women, Valerie Lasley of Val’s and Falisha Wilson of Precious Hearts. George's Gym has had the privilege of working with both Providers for a number of years. They are caregivers, small business owners, educators, Mom’s and so much more. They are staples within their communities and give their ALL to the children and families they work with, as well as their own.
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The second and most important, beneficiaries of your donations are the kids who attend these Daycare locations. So often when you donate to a cause, you don’t get to see who is the recipient on the other side. We want to put a faces to names, so the children featured in the graphic below, ALL attend one of the locations we are donating to. They, more than anyone else, need Daycares in their area to remain open through and after the pandemic.
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Update #1: New Daycare Added
We have now added a 3rd Daycare Provider to our list of recipients! Rami Brown is the proud owner of Bright Smiles Daycare and with 3 locations in the South Shore, we definitely need to stock her up with supplies to last her through this pandemic! Her home center location was actually the first Daycare George's Gym worked at. Rami contacted me roughly 10 years ago and explained that many businesses like mine, that offered enrichment programs, would not service her area and further South. After finding that out, the George's Gym Daycare Program began and through her continuous support and word of mouth, we have grown it into what it is today. Please join me in giving a little something back to her and her community!
UPDATE #2: Holiday Edition
For this round, we want to support Black-owned businesses on Black Friday and Cyber Monday, by buying more cleaning supplies from Laura Kay Innovations and EcoDaisy (both Black-owned and eco-friendly cleaning supply companies) AAAAAND since it's now the holiday season...we have added TOYS to all of our Daycare's Target registries...because we also want to use the Target Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals to purchase gifts for all the kids at the Daycares!!!
We will be collecting donations now through December 1st via GoFundMe, Venmo and a newly added Zelle (Chase Quickpay) option. But as always, you can also purchase items directly from any of our Daycare's Target registries and we are happy to arrange zero-contact pickups of any in-kind donations purchased elsewhere. We just ask that all toys are new and unopened. Links to every option can be found on the donation page.
Remember, every bit helps and we completely understand if donating at this time is not within your budget. Simply sharing our efforts would be a HUGE help!
Thank you for being a part of the solution and helping us spread some holiday cheer!
We will be collecting donations now through December 1st via GoFundMe, Venmo and a newly added Zelle (Chase Quickpay) option. But as always, you can also purchase items directly from any of our Daycare's Target registries and we are happy to arrange zero-contact pickups of any in-kind donations purchased elsewhere. We just ask that all toys are new and unopened. Links to every option can be found on the donation page.
Remember, every bit helps and we completely understand if donating at this time is not within your budget. Simply sharing our efforts would be a HUGE help!
Thank you for being a part of the solution and helping us spread some holiday cheer!
Click the button below to view all the ways you can be a part of the solution
Thank you for giving!
