Concordia Lutheran Ministries treats employees like family
Books to read, snacks to be enjoyed, and, of course, nap times are a bonus for employees of Concordia Lutheran Ministries in Jefferson Township.
Not for the workers, but for their children, as the campus hosts an on-site day-care center.
Day care co-directors Andrea Lang and Amy Rumbaugh say the advantages for what they call 'the Concordia family” go well beyond the 30 percent employee discount.
There's the convenience of not having to travel to pick up or drop off a child before or after work. Parents can walk over for visits during breaks or lunch if they like, which is particularly helpful for breastfeeding moms.
And, it's not uncommon to get an unexpected wave from your child if his or her group is taking a walk.
“We love to take walks. This campus is beautiful,” Rumbaugh said. “It gives parents peace of mind to know their kids are right here.”
The campus also is particularly accommodating for day care as that building once played home to an orphanage. It had been transformed into resident rooms when, in 1987, the day care was initiated to fill a need among employees. While the day care originally was established to host 27 children, it was renovated in 2007 to four rooms able to host up to 80. It has in recent years been able to accept a few children whose parents are not Concordia employees. But, for some age groups, there is a waiting list up to a year.
With the exception of a two-year span, the center has been run by Rumbaugh, Lang, or both women, for the past three decades.
Each woman stepped down from the director's job at a point when their own children demanded more of their time — so they understand the struggles of young parents.
“At one time, I had all three of my boys in day care at the same time, and it was a lot on my plate,” Lang said. “I was working part time, and I had to work an extra day just to pay for the day care.”
The facility accepts children between the ages of 8 weeks and the 4th grade. The co-directors said once children get older, they board school buses later in the day, and the staff cannot accommodate that. Hours are 6:30 a.m. to 5:45 p.m. Monday through Friday. It is run by 11 employees, all of whom work directly with children, including both co-directors.
“We do a lot during the day to prepare kids for when they will go to school,” Lang said.
Rumbaugh said she finds great joy in watching the children age through the program and then go on to succeed.
“That's such a good feeling,” Rumbaugh said. “Especially if it's a child who struggled a little bit when they were young. We are like a family.”
Staffers make breakfast in the classrooms' kitchenettes. Depending on group age, they might go over the seasons or calendar, and they also work on motor skills.“I get to dance, sing, put a puppet on my hand and play if I want. That's my job, and I love it,” Rumbaugh said.If there is a downside to managing the day care, the co-directors say, it's maintaining enough qualified staff.“It can be a hard job being responsible for children,” Lang said. “Imagine if four newborns all start crying at once.”State law dictates the staff to child ratio: one adult to four children ages 13 months and younger; one adult to five children ages 13 months to 2 years; one adult to six children for 2 and 3 year olds; and one adult to 10 children over the age of 3.Most of the groups at Concordia have two adult supervisors. All of the supervisors there now are women.The co-directors say the need for quality, affordable day care has not changed during their tenures. But the pressures on parents have grown.“Parents today have so much going on in their lives. I really feel they're often overwhelmed,” Rumbaugh said. “For example, when we have sign up for parties, we don't get piles of those delicious home baked goods anymore. Moms just don't have time to bake. They stop at the store instead.”Another thing that's changed is technology use by children.“They have I-Pads and tablets and even phones as young as second grade,” Lang said. “And that's tricky for us to monitor because every child and every parent is different. Something one parent finds acceptable, might not be acceptable to other parents. When I started, none of that was an issue.”The co-directors say the number of hours children spend in the day care also is steadily increasing. In the past, moms and dads might alternate pick up and drop off to lessen the hours the child spends in day care. But today both parents are working longer stretches and family available to help is also tapped. More children spend the maximum amount of hours available.“We are here for the working parent,” Rumbaugh said. “We want to help them because we know that's what they're doing … they're working.”
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