Parents Have Options in the Wake of Happy Time Closure

Parents and staffers who have decided to leave the former Happy Time Preschool & Daycare have other options, said Waukee area child-care directors.

Some parents are searching for another child-care option after learning last week that Happy Time is closing, to be replaced by Point of Grace Children's Academy. The center has been housed at the church for about three years.

Church officials decided to give the center a religious focus, requiring staff members to abide by an agreement that they will be models of Christian life. To be hired job applicants must pledge to be born-again Christians who attend church weekly, be abstinent if unmarried, be heterosexual, and refrain from using drugs or alcohol.

Erin Moorhead co-owns West Side Kids child care in Waukee with her mother, Cindy Vokes, and sister, Erika Shepherd. She said the center, located just up the street from Point of Grace Church, has been inundated with calls since Friday afternoon.

Moorhead said parents have expressed their unhappiness with the way Point of Grace officials handled the Happy Time daycare closing.

“A lot of people have told us they’re leaving because they didn’t like how things were changing over there,” she said. “They also don’t agree with the way they fired the teachers. People seem to be most unhappy with that.”

Moorhead said West Side currently has spots open for 3 year-olds only.

Karen Glenn, owner and administrative director of Generation Next Child Development Center & Preschool, said her center has positions open for parents in need of child care in the wake of the Happy Time Daycare closing.

“We’ve already had a few people inquire about the facility since Monday," Glenn said. “We have openings. Right now, we are about 60 percent full in the new location.”

The site, at 4401 114^th St. in Urbandale's Aurora Business Park, opens Monday.

Glenn said in addition to child care, there may also be positions open for former staffers of the Happy Time Daycare. Contrary to the Point of Grace Children’s Academy philosophy, Generation Next does not hire based on lifestyle choices.

“We don’t ever ask about anyone’s lifestyle,” Glenn said. “We hire based on education, experience, personality and character. I want to know that they enjoy teaching kids, that they have loving qualities. I don’t want to know about their sexual or religious preferences.”

Angela Wilson, owner of American Professional Nannies in Waukee, said parents looking for alternatives to daycare, should consider hiring an in-home caregiver.

American Professional Nannies hires part-time, full-time and temporary nannies. Cost is often comparable to child care depending on the number of children being cared for. Wilson said pay for a nanny starts at $8 an hour.

“We have a pool of nannies we work with,” Wilson said. “Some are available now and others who have jobs already would need time to give a two-week notice.”

Wilson said the agency does not hire based on lifestyle. She said there are instances when families might request that a nanny be a non-smoker, but never has she experienced any discrimination based on religious beliefs.

“What people want is someone with good values,” she said. “They want someone with good morals and someone who is just a good, honest person.”