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Wednesday, February 16, 2022
Redmond, Oregon • $1
redmondspokesman.com
A special good morning to subscriber Gary Ollerenshaw
@redmondspox
REDMOND PROFICIENCY ACADEMY
Program offers child care for school employees
BY ZACK DEMARS
The Bulletin
Editor’s Note: This story is part of a
series of stories exploring solutions to
the daycare crises in Central Oregon.
The City Club of Central Oregon will
host a forum Thursday seeking solu-
tions. See cityclubco.org. For more cov-
erage, see bendbullet.com
When COVID-19 hit, some teach-
ers at the Redmond Proficiency Acad-
emy found themselves taking care of
dozens of kids, all from their homes.
Not only did they teach their classes
remotely, but some also had their own
children to take care of at home as day
cares closed under pandemic restric-
tions.
More Information: Employer-supported child care
Aside from the raw benefit of increasing the availability of child care in the area, RPA
leaders say having daycare available onsite is a benefit the school use to attract poten-
tial employees, especially during a challenging labor market.
Some at NeighborImpact, which assists the region’s child care providers in their oper-
ations, have pointed to RPA’s model as a good example of employer-supported child
care, where employers use child care options as a benefit to attract and retain employ-
ees.
A number of other models of employer-supported child care are in place across the
country, like micro-centers running in the spare rooms of office buildings and child
care subsidy payments to employees, according to an employer toolkit NeighborIm-
pact released this year, available online at bendbulletin.us/3rIrpKM.
Such was the case for Laurel Eber-
hart, an RPA high school teacher.
“My own child care closed, and so I
had a 9-month-old at home, and I was
teaching from home with a 9-month-
old, which is not ideal,” Eberhart said.
“A couple other teachers were all in
the same boat, and we were like, ‘what
can we do, if anything?’”
School staff had previously batted
around the idea of opening an on-site
daycare to expand the high school’s
early childhood education career and
technical education track. At first,
the idea seemed impossible once the
pandemic began — but once they in-
vited staff to drop their children in an
unused classroom for daycare, they
saw that it could work, and that staff
would be on board.
The result was the school’s Learn &
Play program, which offers child care
for both employees and community
members just across the street from
the school.
It’s been a big boost for the acad-
emy and its staff. Eberhart, for exam-
ple, says she couldn’t find care any-
where else.
“It’s nonexistent anywhere else. If I
didn’t have Learn & Play for my own
two kids this year, I would be the par-
ent who quit my job,” Eberhart said.
“I would not be working this year if
I didn’t have it.”
Hillary Kirk, who now oversees
Learn & Play, says Eberhart isn’t
alone.
“What I heard from some staff
members was just this relief,” Kirk
said.
See Academy / P5
Community supported agriculture
An added connection between the
farmer, the land and the consumer
Ryan Brennecke/The Bulletin photos
Benji Nagel waters trays of seedlings in his greenhouse in Sisters on Sunday.
BY SUZANNE ROIG • The Bulletin
W
With her infant daugh-
ter in tow, Carys Wilkins
and her son Junius Na-
gel work on planting
lettuce seeds in their
greenhouse in Sisters
on Sunday.
hen Amy Gregory paid for a community supported agriculture
membership with Redmond Fibonacci Farms, little did she
know the weekly box of fresh vegetables would change her life.
A year later, the former Seattle resident
is a vegetarian, eating mainly locally grown
vegetables. Her membership gives the farm
an infusion of cash before the crop comes
up.
It’s like a timeshare for vegetables.
Participants each spring sign up for a CSA,
as they’re called, and when the summer
harvest begins, they are entitled to a weekly
or biweekly box of produce of what ever is
harvested at that time.
See CSAs / P5
The Spokesman uses
recycled newsprint
Events in and around Redmond
The Redmond Spokesman welcomes event information for
its community calendar. Submissions are limited to nonprofit,
free and live entertainment events. Deadline is 5 p.m. Thursday
for the following Wednesday’s paper. Items are published on a
space-available basis and may be edited. Contact us at
news@redmondspokesman.com or fax 541-548-3203.
Wednesday 2/16
perform; 5:30-8:30 p.m.; free; Brasada Ranch, 16986 SW Brasada
Ranch Road, Powell Butte; brasada.com or 855-318-4960.
Housing and Community Development Committee Meet-
ing: A regular meeting will be held; 4-5:30 p.m.; free; Redmond
City Hall, Online; redmondoregon.gov or 541-923-7710.
The Ballybogs: The Irish traditional music band will perform;
6-8 p.m.; free; Porter Brewing Co., 611 NE Jackpine Ct. 2, Red-
mond; porterbrewingco.com or 541-504-7959.
Open Hub Singing Club: An evening of singing...together.
Group singing is one of the most ancient technologies of be-
longing; 6-7:30 p.m.; free; Redmond Library, 827 SW Deschutes
Ave., Redmond; deschuteslibrary.org or 541-312-1029.
THursday 2/17
Alicia Viani Band — Range Music Series: The lyrical duo will
FrIday 2/18
Redmond Coffee Clatter — Just Cut Organic Juice Bar:
Join for a morning of networking and some fresh just cut or-
ganic juice and hear what else is new; 8:30-9:30 a.m.; free;
Just Cut Organic Juice Bar, 412 SW Evergreen Ave., Redmond;
See Calendar / P5
INDEX
Puzzles ............. 2 Obituaries ....... 6
Flashback ........ 3 Classifieds ....... 6
Volume 112, No. 25
USPS 778-040
U|xaIICGHy02326kzU