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'Let the northeast side live'

The man was tired and old by all appearances. His bulging eyes were blood red, his hair grayed, and his voice would crack intermittently.

Look deeper, closer. Maybe then it becomes more apparent why Carbondale resident Melvin Turley spoke with a fever of white-hot passion at the July 20 Carbondale City Council meeting that resulted in the city keeping control of the Eurma C. Hayes Child Care Center.

"Don't take the child care center from us," he said standing at the podium. "This is all we have left. How can these people take care of our kids better than we can? Let the northeast side live!"

Later, when the council members made their decision, the Carbondale City Council voted 6-1 for the child care center to remain subsidized by the city under the care of the center's current staff minus a few, as recommended by a mayoral review panel.

The decision was a victory for the northeast sector of the city on multiple levels; one in retaining affordable childcare and the other in the form of hearing their collective voices echo into action.

They had won the seven-month long battle that began in January when the City Council opened discussion regarding the feasibility of the city continuing to operate the center. More than 170 community members appeared at the next council meeting.

"If you look at the history of the center and its mission, the council realized the mission exceeds the economics," said Seymour Bryson, associate chancellor of Diversity at SIUC who also served on the mayoral review panel. "This is one of the social needs of the community. There is a social and a human need for the center. I think some of the council members realize the social and human value."

The mission of the childcare center, which has been under city operation since 1975, is to provide affordable, quality childcare to families who need subsidized assistance for parents who work, attend school or are in job training. Of the families that utilize the center, 28 percent, as of the last study, live on the SIUC campus.

Father Joseph Brown, director of the Black American Studies Department at SIUC, said the need for the childcare center is irrefutable, as its importance to the majority of people who live in the northeast side of Carbondale is immeasurable. He agreed with the statement made by Councilman Lance Jack, who as he was about to cast his vote, compared the losses and the importance of the childcare center to the fire and police departments.

"I do know there needs to be something in the northeast side of town that needs to stand for a quality of life," Brown said.

Aside from the obvious past financial shortcomings, the center still faces the problem of locating families to reach the minimum occupancy of 48 children enrolled, as stipulated by the review panel's recommendations. At last check, the number of children was 32.

Where the 16 more children are going to come from concerns Councilwoman Corene McDaniel, the lone member of council to publicly dissent with the decision for the center to remain city-operated.

"That is 16 more children we must find just so we can start," she said. "I don't know where they are going to come from. The part I am most worried about is that a lot of children that are eligible to go, do not. So why aren't the parents choosing the center?

"I am not so sure how we are going to get the numbers up. I hope this is a wake- up call."

Kenya DeWalt, a 15-year employee at the childcare center, said she has noticed a substantial spike in the interest from local families. She noted there were two families who visited the center in the past week, since news the center would remain open spread. There is also reason to believe the numbers in enrollment dipped in the past year due to the uncertainty clouding over the center.

She believes there will be the necessary 48 children enrolled for the center to function, insofar as the city conducts the necessary advertising.

"This daycare has been around for so long," DeWalt said. "It is not just the child care part; it is that we have place to gather up and a lot of church events and stuff goes on in this area. This is something the northeast side has to keep."