Watch now: Pending closure of Decatur after-school program strains working dad and mom | Parenting
DECATUR — Rebecca Kitchens loves talking to her 5-year-old daughter Cadence whenever the busy working Decatur mom gets the chance.
But there is one conversation she is not looking forward to having: telling Cadence why, after August, she won’t be seeing her favorite teachers anymore at the Kid’s Connection after school and summer care program run by Macon Resources, Inc.
Kitchens said she and many other devastated parents were told the program, which houses more than 50 kids, will close on that date. Cadence, she explains, has autism and it’s tough to find affordable, trustworthy facilities with properly trained staff to take children with special needs.
Macon County nonprofit organizations receive grants from the CommunityWorks Endowed Fund
“She really likes it there and she asks about her teachers all the time,” said Kitchens, 36. “Now we’re going to have to tell her she won’t be there to see her favorite teacher after August… and she is not going to understand that.”
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Kitchens said she was told Aug. 13 is the final closure date but that appears to be under discussion. Amy Bliefnick, away for a family event for the Monday holiday, told the Herald & Review that closure dates were being discussed to coincide with the start of the school year and availability of Decatur Public School care facilities. She said she would listen to parents’ concerns and be ready to make a statement after doing that.
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Other parents who contacted the Herald & Review also quoted Aug. 13 as the closure date they had been given. Kitchens said the reason cited was the facility “never recovered financially from COVID” and the stresses dealing with the pandemic had placed on the care program.
Kitchens said her family was told the program would linger until August and the start of school and then be gone. She said what the family will do in the future is up in the air as there are few care programs catering for special needs children, and those that do often have high prices and long waiting lists.
Kitchens said both she and her husband, Tyler, want and need to work but are faced with a massive headache of juggling job times and child care without the MRI program to rely on. “It just seems like the only alternative is to have a parent stay home,” said Kitchens, who works as an infant feeding technician at a hospital in Springfield. “But I want to work; I have my LPN license and I also want to go back to school and get my RN.”
Kitchen said a MRI speech therapy program her daughter uses will continue and she will continue to use it. But the loss of reliable out of school care may be a bridge too far for the Kitchens family and other working parents to try and deal with.
“For our family, our closest relative is an hour and half away from us to get help and so, with this closure, this just becomes a perfect storm for us and so many working parents like us,” she added. “It’s very hard.”
PHOTOS: Field Day at Macon Resources Inc.
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Meaningful Meadows was filled with community members and clients for Field Day on Friday at Macon Resources Inc., in Decatur.
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Meaningful Meadows was filled with community members and clients for Field Day on Friday at Macon Resources Inc., in Decatur.
MRI Field Day 3 043021.JPG
Meaningful Meadows was filled with community members and clients for Field Day on Friday at Macon Resources Inc., in Decatur.
MRI Field Day 4 043021.JPG
Meaningful Meadows was filled with community members and clients for Field Day on Friday at Macon Resources Inc., in Decatur.
MRI Field Day 5 043021.JPG
Meaningful Meadows was filled with community members and clients for Field Day on Friday at Macon Resources Inc., in Decatur.
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Meaningful Meadows was filled with community members and clients for Field Day on Friday at Macon Resources Inc., in Decatur.
MRI Field Day 7 043021.JPG
Meaningful Meadows was filled with community members and clients for Field Day on Friday at Macon Resources Inc., in Decatur.
MRI Field Day 8 043021.JPG
Meaningful Meadows was filled with community members and clients for Field Day on Friday at Macon Resources Inc., in Decatur.
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Meaningful Meadows was filled with community members and clients for Field Day on Friday at Macon Resources Inc., in Decatur.
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Meaningful Meadows was filled with community members and clients for Field Day on Friday at Macon Resources Inc., in Decatur.
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Meaningful Meadows was filled with community members and clients for Field Day on Friday at Macon Resources Inc., in Decatur.
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Meaningful Meadows was filled with community members and clients for Field Day on Friday at Macon Resources Inc., in Decatur.
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Meaningful Meadows was filled with community members and clients for Field Day on Friday at Macon Resources Inc., in Decatur.
MRI Field Day 14 043021.JPG
Meaningful Meadows was filled with community members and clients for Field Day on Friday at Macon Resources Inc., in Decatur.
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Meaningful Meadows was filled with community members and clients for Field Day on Friday at Macon Resources Inc., in Decatur.
MRI Field Day 16 043021.JPG
Meaningful Meadows was filled with community members and clients for Field Day on Friday at Macon Resources Inc., in Decatur.
MRI Field Day 17 043021.JPG
Meaningful Meadows was filled with community members and clients for Field Day on Friday at Macon Resources Inc., in Decatur.
MRI Field Day 18 043021.JPG
Meaningful Meadows was filled with community members and clients for Field Day on Friday at Macon Resources Inc., in Decatur.
MRI Field Day 19 043021.JPG
Meaningful Meadows was filled with community members and clients for Field Day on Friday at Macon Resources Inc., in Decatur.
MRI Field Day 20 043021.JPG
Meaningful Meadows was filled with community members and clients for Field Day on Friday at Macon Resources Inc., in Decatur.
MRI Field Day 21 043021.JPG
Meaningful Meadows was filled with community members and clients for Field Day on Friday at Macon Resources Inc., in Decatur.
MRI Field Day 22 043021.JPG
Meaningful Meadows was filled with community members and clients for Field Day on Friday at Macon Resources Inc., in Decatur.
MRI Field Day 23 043021.JPG
Meaningful Meadows was filled with community members and clients for Field Day on Friday at Macon Resources Inc., in Decatur.
MRI Field Day 24 043021.JPG
Meaningful Meadows was filled with community members and clients for Field Day on Friday at Macon Resources Inc., in Decatur.
MRI Field Day 25 043021.JPG
Meaningful Meadows was filled with community members and clients for Field Day on Friday at Macon Resources Inc., in Decatur.
MRI Field Day 26 043021.JPG
Meaningful Meadows was filled with community members and clients for Field Day on Friday at Macon Resources Inc., in Decatur.
MRI Field Day 27 043021.JPG
Meaningful Meadows was filled with community members and clients for Field Day on Friday at Macon Resources Inc., in Decatur.
MRI Field Day 28 043021.JPG
Meaningful Meadows was filled with community members and clients for Field Day on Friday at Macon Resources Inc., in Decatur.
MRI Field Day 29 043021.JPG
Meaningful Meadows was filled with community members and clients for Field Day on Friday at Macon Resources Inc., in Decatur.
MRI Field Day 30 043021.JPG
Meaningful Meadows was filled with community members and clients for Field Day on Friday at Macon Resources Inc., in Decatur.
MRI Field Day 31 043021.JPG
Meaningful Meadows was filled with community members and clients for Field Day on Friday at Macon Resources Inc., in Decatur.
MRI Field Day 32 043021.JPG
Meaningful Meadows was filled with community members and clients for Field Day on Friday at Macon Resources Inc., in Decatur.
MRI Field Day 33 043021.JPG
Meaningful Meadows was filled with community members and clients for Field Day on Friday at Macon Resources Inc., in Decatur.
MRI Field Day 34 043021.JPG
Meaningful Meadows was filled with community members and clients for Field Day on Friday at Macon Resources Inc., in Decatur.
MRI Field Day 35 043021.JPG
Meaningful Meadows was filled with community members and clients for Field Day on Friday at Macon Resources Inc., in Decatur.
MRI Field Day 36 043021.JPG
Meaningful Meadows was filled with community members and clients for Field Day on Friday at Macon Resources Inc., in Decatur.
MRI Field Day 37 043021.JPG
Meaningful Meadows was filled with community members and clients for Field Day on Friday at Macon Resources Inc., in Decatur.
MRI Field Day 38 043021.JPG
Meaningful Meadows was filled with community members and clients for Field Day on Friday at Macon Resources Inc., in Decatur.
MRI Field Day 39 043021.JPG
Meaningful Meadows was filled with community members and clients for Field Day on Friday at Macon Resources Inc., in Decatur.
MRI Field Day 40 043021.JPG
Meaningful Meadows was filled with community members and clients for Field Day on Friday at Macon Resources Inc., in Decatur.
MRI Field Day 41 043021.JPG
Meaningful Meadows was filled with community members and clients for Field Day on Friday at Macon Resources Inc., in Decatur.
MRI Field Day 42 043021.JPG
Meaningful Meadows was filled with community members and clients for Field Day on Friday at Macon Resources Inc., in Decatur.
MRI Field Day 43 043021.JPG
Meaningful Meadows was filled with community members and clients for Field Day on Friday at Macon Resources Inc., in Decatur.
MRI Field Day 44 043021.JPG
Meaningful Meadows was filled with community members and clients for Field Day on Friday at Macon Resources Inc., in Decatur.
MRI Field Day 45 043021.JPG
Meaningful Meadows was filled with community members and clients for Field Day on Friday at Macon Resources Inc., in Decatur.
MRI Field Day 46 043021.JPG
Meaningful Meadows was filled with community members and clients for Field Day on Friday at Macon Resources Inc., in Decatur.
MRI Field Day 47 043021.JPG
Meaningful Meadows was filled with community members and clients for Field Day on Friday at Macon Resources Inc., in Decatur.
MRI Field Day 48 043021.JPG
Meaningful Meadows was filled with community members and clients for Field Day on Friday at Macon Resources Inc., in Decatur.
MRI Field Day 49 043021.JPG
Meaningful Meadows was filled with community members and clients for Field Day on Friday at Macon Resources Inc., in Decatur.
MRI Field Day 50 043021.JPG
Meaningful Meadows was filled with community members and clients for Field Day on Friday at Macon Resources Inc., in Decatur.
MRI Field Day 51 043021.JPG
Meaningful Meadows was filled with community members and clients for Field Day on Friday at Macon Resources Inc., in Decatur.
MRI Field Day 52 043021.JPG
Meaningful Meadows was filled with community members and clients for Field Day on Friday at Macon Resources Inc., in Decatur.
MRI Field Day 53 043021.JPG
Meaningful Meadows was filled with community members and clients for Field Day on Friday at Macon Resources Inc., in Decatur.
MRI Field Day 54 043021.JPG
Meaningful Meadows was filled with community members and clients for Field Day on Friday at Macon Resources Inc., in Decatur.
MRI Field Day 55 043021.JPG
Meaningful Meadows was filled with community members and clients for Field Day on Friday at Macon Resources Inc., in Decatur.
MRI Field Day 56 043021.JPG
Meaningful Meadows was filled with community members and clients for Field Day on Friday at Macon Resources Inc., in Decatur.
Contact Tony Reid at (217) 421-7977. Follow him on Twitter: @TonyJReid
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