There are no words for what we are all experiencing during these difficult and critical times. Jeremiah's Place is doing its best to maintain the health and wellness of our staff, volunteers, and families. Due to the mandate from Governor Wolf to close childcare centers across Pennsylvania, we sadly closed our doors on Monday, March 16th.
As public health officials assess the risk, we are closely monitoring the spread of the virus and evaluating potential implications. We are unsure at this time when we will open our doors, but we will do so at the earliest possible time.
We have been working diligently to find ways to provide support to our families and staff. Here are some of the things that have been taking place:
- Administrative staff are working remotely and have been meeting via Zoom to plan our response to this ever-changing pandemic. We have been determining the best ways to reach our families, identify growing needs, and are working to address them where we can at the moment. In the coming days, we will begin planning our strategy for re-opening once the mandate is lifted and our staff are able to return to work based on their own wellness and that of their families
- Childcare staff are using this time to complete professional development training modules at home. The board and senior staff are showing our commitment and support by continuing to compensate staff at 100% of their current wages during this time.
- Our Children & Families: It breaks our heart not to be able to serve our clients at this crucial time, but we are exploring other ways to provide additional support to them until we are able to re-open. Our social workers and senior staff have been in touch with many of our families this week and we will continue to conduct family outreach calls throughout this situation.
- Event Cancellations: We have had to cancel our Positive Parenting Workshops that were scheduled over the next two weeks. We have put a hold on all center tours and meetings, and our upcoming Open House is on hold, as well. There may be a need to either cancel or postpone other events that are scheduled out into May and June, but we will make these decisions in the coming weeks.
We will continue to provide updates on our website and on our Facebook page. For the most up to date information on COVID-19, please visit the Center for Disease Control and Prevention website.
Thank you for your ongoing support!
Be well,
Lisa Perry
Executive Director
Jordan Shoenberger
Director of Operations
