TWO DAY-CARE CENTERS NEAR UNIVERSITY ARE NOW OFFERING CHILD CARE AT NIGHT

Two Cape Girardeau day-care center operators say a need for child care for children of students at Southeast Missouri State University has prompted them to begin offering nighttime and drop-in care.

"We decided to start this primarily because they said they needed it so desperately," said Michelle Dewrock, operator of A Step At A Time in Cape Girardeau.

A Step At A Time began staying open until 9 p.m. at the start of the fall semester, and will care for children from 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. for $4 per night per child, Dewrock said.

Most night classes at the university begin at 6 p.m. and end at 8:50 p.m. Monday through Thursday nights.

Dewrock said the center is licensed to care for 41 children. She said parents can bring their children in up to four nights per week. Drop-in care is available only if parents call first to confirm there is space available, she said.

"Say they sign their child up for Monday and Wednesday nights, but they want to study on Tuesday night," Dewrock said. "They can call, and if we do have an opening we'll take them."

Kaye Clemens, operator of Cinnamon Bear & Co. Preschool, said her center also began offering nighttime and drop-in care at the start of the semester.

Clemens said the need for night-time care expressed by students was what prompted her to begin offering the service.

"We wanted them to know that we are ready to serve their needs to the best of our ability," she said.

But in addition to students, other parents are also using nighttime care, she said. "It looks like we've also identified a need in the community," she said.

Clemens said the center has added a television and a study table for children who are at the center at night. She said she wanted to create a home-like environment for kids who may not be used to being away from home at night.

"We want to be able to do everything but bathe them and put them to bed," she said.

The fee for a night of care at Cinnamon Bear is $4.50, Clemens said.

Both centers are near the university.