It's no secret, most of us would like to stay in our own home as we age. Yet, sometimes our loved ones just need a little extra help to remain comfortable at home. That's where Always Best Care can help....we are dedicated to exceeding expectations....always
They say that your golden years are the best years of your life. For most older Americans, that's how it should be - a time to relax, reflect, and live life in a familiar place. After all, senior citizens in the U.S. have worked tirelessly to build a better economy, serve their communities, and raise families.
However, as seniors grow older, completing daily tasks like showering and enjoying activities such as visiting the historic Historic Occoneechee Speedway gets harder without someone by their side. Unfortunately, many older Americans aren't able to rely on their adult children for help. The reality in today's world is that family members do not have the skills or time to dedicate to caring for their parents. That's where Always Best Care Senior Services comes in.
Our in-home care services are for people who prefer to stay at home as they grow older but need ongoing care that family or friends cannot provide. More and more older adults prefer to live far away from long-term, institutionalized facilities and closer to the place where they feel most comfortable - their home. Home care in Orange, NC is a safe, effective way to give your loved ones the care they need when they need it the most.
Home Care Services
Service AreasSince 1996, Always Best Care has provided non-medical in-home care for seniors to help them maintain a healthy lifestyle as they get older. We are proud to have helped more than 25,000 seniors maintain higher levels of dignity and respect. We focus on providing seniors with the highest level of in-home care available so that they may live happily and independently.
Unlike some senior care companies, we genuinely want to be included in our clients' lives. We believe that personalized care is always the better option over a "one size fits all" approach. To make sure our senior clients receive the best care possible, we pair them with compassionate caregivers who understand their unique needs. That way, they may provide care accordingly without compromising their wellbeing.
The Always Best Care difference lies in life's little moments - where compassionate care and trustworthy experience come together to help seniors live a fruitful, healthy life. Whether you are an aging adult that can't quite keep up with life's daily tasks or the child of a senior who needs regular in-home services, Always Best Care is here to help.
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Home is where the heart is. While that saying can sound a tad cliche, it is especially true for many seniors living in America. When given a choice, older adults most often prefer to grow older at home. An AARP study found that three out of four adults over the age of 50 want to stay in their homes and communities as they age.
When you begin to think about why, it makes sense. Home offers a sense of security, comfort, and familiarity.
The truth is, as we age, we begin to rely on others for help. When a family is too busy or lives too far away to fulfill this role, in-home senior care is often the best solution. Home care services allow seniors to enjoy personal independence while also receiving trustworthy assistance from a trained caregiver.
At Always Best Care, we offer a comprehensive range of home care services to help seniors stay healthy while they get the help they need to remain independent. As your senior loved one gets older, giving them the gift of senior care is one of the best ways to show your love, even if you live far away.
To give our senior clients the best care possible, we offer a full spectrum of in-home care services:
If your senior loved one has specific care needs, our personal care services are a great choice to consider. Personal care includes the standard caregiving duties associated with companion care and includes help with tasks such as dressing and grooming. Personal care can also help individuals with chronic conditions like diabetes.
Common personal care services include assistance with:
Sometimes, seniors need helpful reminders to maintain a high quality of life at home. If you or your senior has trouble with everyday tasks like cooking, our home helper services will be very beneficial.
Common home helper care services include assistance with:
Using this kind of care is a fantastic way to make life easier for you or your senior loved one. At Always Best Care, our talented caregivers often fill the role of a companion for seniors. That way, older adults can enjoy their favorite local activities, such as visiting Eisenhower Park with friends while also receiving the care they need daily or weekly.
Common companionship services include:
According to AARP, more than 53 million adults living in the U.S. provide care to someone over 50 years old. Unfortunately, these caregivers experience stress, exhaustion, and even depression. Our respite care services help family caregivers address urgent obligations, spend time with their children, and enjoy nearby activities. Perhaps more importantly, respite care gives family members time to recharge and regroup. Taking personal time to de-stress reduces the risk of caregiver burnout. So, if you've always wanted to eat at the local The Hobbit or visit James Madison Museum of Orange County Heritage, don't feel bad. Doing so is great for both you and your loved one.
At the end of the day, our goal is to become a valuable part of your senior's daily routine. That way, we may help give them the highest quality of life possible. We know that staying at home is important for your loved one, and we are here to help make sure that is possible.
If you have been on the fence about non-medical home care, there has never been a better time than now to give your senior the care, assistance, and companionship they deserve.
Always Best Care in-home services are for older adults who prefer to stay at home but need ongoing care that friends and family cannot provide. In-home care is a safe, effective way for seniors to age gracefully in a familiar place and live independent, non-institutionalized lives. The benefits of non-medical home care are numerous. Here are just a few reasons to consider senior care services from Always Best Care:
According to AARP, 9 out of 10 seniors prefer to age in place within the comfort of their own home. With in-home care, seniors have a way to stay at home, receive the care they need, and maintain a sense of independence, improving overall wellness.
If you or a member of your family have assumed the role of caregiver for your senior loved one, you know how stressful the job can be. Between caregiver burnout and constant worry, being a family caregiver is hard. In-home care relieves your burden and gives you peace of mind knowing that your older family member is in expert hands.
Unlike nursing homes, where the staff and residents rotate frequently, seniors can foster new friendships and build bonds with their caregiver. Seniors who socialize on a regular basis are often happier, which fosters positivity and leads to increased wellbeing.
No two seniors need the same kind of in-home care assistance. That is why each of our Care Plans is tailored to meet our client's individual needs. We offer plans that cover everything from light housekeeping to more involved duties like transportation to doctor's appointments. Our Care Coordinators will work closely with you to develop a personalized plan to ensure your senior's needs are exceeded.
Always Best Care offers a full array of care options for patients at all levels of health. With our trusted elderly care services, your loved one will receive the level of care necessary for them to enjoy the highest possible quality of life.
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While it's true that some seniors have complicated medical needs that prevent them from staying at home, aging in place is often the best arrangement for seniors and their families. With a trusted caregiver, seniors have the opportunity to live with a sense of dignity and do so as they see fit - something that is unavailable to many older people today.
In-home care makes it possible for millions of seniors to age in place every year. Rather than moving to a strange nursing home, seniors have the chance to stay at home where they feel the happiest and most comfortable.
How much does a senior's home truly mean to them?
A study published by the American Society on Aging found that more than half of seniors say their home's emotional value means more than how much their home is worth in monetary value. It stands to reason, then, that a senior's home is where they want to grow old.
With the help of elderly care in Orange, NC, seniors don't have to age in a sterilized care facility. Instead, they can age gracefully in the place they want to be most: their home. In contrast, seniors who move to a long-term care facility must adapt to new environments, new people, and new systems that the facility implements. At this stage in life, this kind of drastic change can be more harmful than helpful.
Institutional care facilities like nursing homes often put large groups of people together to live in one location. On any given day, dozens of staff members and caregivers run in and out of these facilities. Being around so many new people in a relatively small living environment can be dangerous for a seniors' health and wellbeing. When you consider that thousands of seniors passed away in nursing homes during the COVID-19 pandemic, opting for in-home care is often a safer, healthier choice for seniors.
Aging in place has been shown to improve seniors' quality of life, which helps boost physical health and also helps insulate them from viral and bacterial risks found in elderly living facilities.
For many seniors, the ability to live independently with assistance from a caregiver is a priceless option. With in-home care, seniors experience a higher level of independence and freedom - much more so than in other settings like a nursing home. When a senior has the chance to age in place, they get to live life on their own terms, inside the house that they helped make into a home. More independence means more control over their personal lives, too, which leads to increased levels of fulfillment, happiness, and personal gratification. Over time, these positive feelings can manifest into a healthier, longer life.
More independence, a healthier life, and increased comfort are only a few benefits of aging in place. You have to take into consideration the role of cost and convenience. Simply put, it's usually easier and more affordable to help seniors age in place than it is to move them into an institutional care facility. According to the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, seniors who age in the comfort of their homes can save thousands of dollars per month.
In-home care services from Always Best Care, for instance, are often less expensive than long-term solutions, which can cost upwards of six figures per year. To make matters worse, many residential care facilities are reluctant to accept long-term care insurance and other types of payment assistance.
With Always Best Care's home care services, seniors and their families have a greater level of control over their care plans. In-home care gives seniors the chance to form a bond with a trusted caregiver and also receive unmatched care that is catered to their needs. In long-term care facilities, seniors and their loved ones have much less control over their care plan and have less of a say in who provides their care.
In-home care is a valuable resource that empowers seniors to age in place on their own terms. However, a big concern for many families and their loved ones is how much in-home care costs. If you're worried that in-home care is too expensive, you may be pleasantly surprised to learn that it is one of the most affordable senior care arrangements available.
Typically, hiring an Always Best Care in-home caregiver for a few hours a week is more affordable than sending your loved one to a long-term care facility. This is true even for seniors with more complex care needs.
At Always Best Care, we will work closely with you and your family to develop a Care Plan that not only meets your care needs, but your budget requirements, too. Once we discover the level of care that you or your senior need, we develop an in-home care plan that you can afford.
In addition to our flexible care options, families should also consider the following resources to help offset potential home care costs:
When you or your senior loved one needs assistance managing daily tasks at home, finding a qualified caregiver can be challenging. It takes a special kind of person to provide reliable care for your senior loved one. However, a caregiver's role involves more than meal preparation and medication reminders. Many seniors rely on their caregivers for companionship, too.
Our companion care services give seniors the chance to socialize in a safe environment and engage in activities at home. These important efforts boost morale and provide much-needed relief from repetitive daily routines. A one-on-one, engaging conversation can sharpen seniors' minds and give them something in which to be excited.
At Always Best Care, we only hire care providers that we would trust to care for our own loved ones. Our senior caregivers in Orange, NC understand how important it is to listen and communicate with their seniors. A seemingly small interaction, like a short hug goodbye, can make a major difference in a senior's day. Instead of battling against feelings of isolation, seniors begin to look forward to seeing their caregiver each week.
Understanding the nuances of senior care is just one of the reasons why our care providers are so great at their job.
Unlike some senior care companies, our caregivers must undergo extensive training before they work for Always Best Care. In addition, our caregivers receive ongoing training throughout the year. This training ensures that their standard of care matches up to the high standards we've come to expect. During this training, they will brush up on their communication skills, safety awareness, and symptom spotting. That way, your loved one receives the highest level of non-medical home care from day one.
While it's true that many seniors prefer to age at home, sometimes in-home care isn't the best fit. For those seniors and their families, choosing an assisted living facility makes more sense. Unfortunately, finding the optimal care facility is easier said than done in today's day and age. That's when Always Best Care's assisted living referral services begin to make a lot of sense.
Assisted living is a form of housing intended for seniors who require varying degrees of medical and personal attention. Accommodations may include single rooms, apartments, or shared living arrangements. Assisted living communities are typically designed to resemble a home-like environment and are physically constructed to encourage the independence of residents.
At assisted living communities, seniors receive help with daily activities such as bathing, dressing, and eating. They may also benefit from coordination of services with outside healthcare providers, and monitoring of resident activities to ensure their health, safety, and well-being. Caregivers who work at assisted living communities can also provide medication administration and personal care services for older adults.
Other services offered within assisted living communities can include some or all of the following:
At Always Best Care, our representatives can match your senior's emotional, physical, and financial needs with viable assisted living communities nearby. Results are based on comparative data, so you can select the best choice for you or your loved one.
Always Best Care works closely with local senior living communities to gain valuable knowledge that we then use to help seniors and their loved ones make informed decisions. This information can include basic care and rent, resident availability, and services provided. Because Always Best Care is compensated by these communities, we provide senior living referral services at no extra cost to you.
Some of the most popular assisted living communities to consider in our area include the following:
For many seniors, moving into a senior living community revolves around how and when they want to make a transition to more involved care. Some seniors are more proactive about transitioning to independent living. Others choose to remain home until their care needs or other requirements are satisfied. Remember - our staff is here to help. Contact our office today to learn more about assisted living communities and how we can find a facility that exceeds your expectations.
The first step in getting quality in-home care starts with a personal consultation with an experienced Always Best Care Care Coordinator. This initial consultation is crucial for our team to learn more about you or your elderly loved one to discover the level of care required. Topics of this consultation typically include:
A discussion of your needs and how our trained caregivers can offer assistance in the most effective way
A draft of your care plan, which includes highly detailed notes and a framework for the care that you or your senior will receive
Discuss payment options and help coordinate billing with your insurance provider
Our caregivers are trained to spot changes that clients exhibit, like mental and physical decline. As your trusted senior care company, we will constantly assess and update your Care Plan to meet any new emotional, intellectual, physical, and emotional needs.
If you have never considered in-home care before, we understand that you and your family may have concerns about your Care Plan and its Care Coordinator. To help give you peace of mind, know that every team member and caregiver must undergo comprehensive training before being assigned to a Care Plan.
At the end of the day, we only hire the best of the best at Always Best Care. Whether you need home care in Orange, NC 24-hours a day or only need a respite for a couple of hours, we are here to serve you.
When you're ready, we encourage you to contact your local Always Best Care representative to set up a Care Consultation. Our Care Coordinators would be happy to meet with you in person to get to know you better, discuss your needs, and help put together a personalized Care Plan specific to your needs.
Data SkriveThe Syracuse Orange (11-16, 5-11 ACC) will attempt to stop a three-game losing skid when hosting the NC State Wolfpack (11-16, 4-12 ACC) at 7:00 PM ET on Wednesday, February 26, 2025 at JMA Wireless Dome. The game airs on ESPNU.Syracuse lost on the road to Pittsburgh, 80-69, in its most recent game. Its top scorers were Chris Bunch (23 PTS, 46.67 FG%, 7-12 from 3PT) and JJ Starling (14 PTS, 33.33 FG%, 3-11 from 3PT).NC State won at home over Wake Forest, 85-73, in its most recent game. Its top performers were ...
Data Skrive
The Syracuse Orange (11-16, 5-11 ACC) will attempt to stop a three-game losing skid when hosting the NC State Wolfpack (11-16, 4-12 ACC) at 7:00 PM ET on Wednesday, February 26, 2025 at JMA Wireless Dome. The game airs on ESPNU.
Syracuse lost on the road to Pittsburgh, 80-69, in its most recent game. Its top scorers were Chris Bunch (23 PTS, 46.67 FG%, 7-12 from 3PT) and JJ Starling (14 PTS, 33.33 FG%, 3-11 from 3PT).
NC State won at home over Wake Forest, 85-73, in its most recent game. Its top performers were Paul McNeil (24 PTS, 61.54 FG%, 4-7 from 3PT) and Dontrez Styles (22 PTS, 10 REB, 52.94 FG%, 4-11 from 3PT).
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Syracuse, N.Y. — What grades would you give the Syracuse basketball team for its 74-60 victory against North Carolina State on Wednesday night in the JMA Wireless Dome? What marks would you give the offense? The defense? Coaches?If you’re having trouble seeing the stats on your mobile device, ...
Syracuse, N.Y. — What grades would you give the Syracuse basketball team for its 74-60 victory against North Carolina State on Wednesday night in the JMA Wireless Dome? What marks would you give the offense? The defense? Coaches?
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A small group of friends who bonded through dance had a vision about a decade ago to build an arts-focused community where people could age in place while continuing to pursue their passions.The Triangle Traditional Music and Dance Retirement Society unsuccessfully looked for land in urban areas of Durham and Orange counties. Over a year ago, they found a landowner in southwestern Orange County who wanted to sell.In February, the Orange County Board of Commissioners will review Fiddlehead Corner, a 55-plus arts community planne...
A small group of friends who bonded through dance had a vision about a decade ago to build an arts-focused community where people could age in place while continuing to pursue their passions.
The Triangle Traditional Music and Dance Retirement Society unsuccessfully looked for land in urban areas of Durham and Orange counties. Over a year ago, they found a landowner in southwestern Orange County who wanted to sell.
In February, the Orange County Board of Commissioners will review Fiddlehead Corner, a 55-plus arts community planned for 90 acres at Morrow Mill and Gold Mine Loop roads, off N.C. 54. The society’s newly formed nonprofit Hands Four Development Cooperative bought the land for $1.1 million in 2023.
The plan is to build a compact cluster of 150 single-family homes, duplexes, triplexes and apartments on roughly 30 acres. Up to two family-care homes also are possible, with six beds each for residents who need daily help.
Homes would be sold to people who join the Triangle Traditional Music and Dance Retirement Society and pass a screening for age, income, credit and other requirements. Homes could be sold or inherited, with new owners subjected to the same screening.
Residents of all ages could still live there, as long as the community meets a federal Fair Housing Act requirement of one adult age 55 or older living in at least 80% of the units.
“We wanted to be permeable to people of all ages, because if you’re aging, it’s a healthy thing to be living among people who are younger than you — not be exclusively old folks,” said Edwin Cox, a member of the cooperative.
A private company would maintain the community well and septic, which would be the county’s largest system, county Planning Director Cy Stober said. Fewer than 5% of Orange County’s private wells and septic systems serve an entire community, he said, and the state permits and regulates their construction and operation.
About 60 acres would be undeveloped, including a few creeks and streams. Roughly 11 acres of that land would provide a wastewater drain field, with another 13 acres as backup in case of repairs.
A homeowners’ association would manage common areas, including a 10,000-square-foot community center, central gathering hall, library, classrooms, commercial kitchen, and arts and craft spaces. A workout room and pools are planned.
The commissioners could talk about Fiddlehead Corner on Feb. 4 at the Whitted building in Hillsborough. The meeting starts at 7 p.m.
What makes Fiddlehead Corner unique for Orange County is the mix of housing types and a site design that replicates a town center surrounded by open space, Stober said in an email.
It would also be a suburban neighborhood planted among farms and forests.
Over 18 acres is within a “rural neighborhood activity node” at Morrow Mill Road and N.C. 54. It’s one of 10 locations where gas stations, mom-and-pop stores and other small businesses are allowed within a quarter-mile of key county intersections. The surrounding land is agricultural and residential, which already allows single-family homes, duplexes and family care homes.
Hands Four is asking to expand the activity node and rezone the entire site for a master plan development, which is a high-level view of what could be built and where on the site. County staff would approve the details as each phase of the project is built.
Stober recommended approving the project, in part, because it enhances the rural area, is near a transportation corridor and businesses, and preserves a large part of the land. The Planning Board voted to recommend denial, with some members saying they like the idea, but it’s the wrong place.
The board also shared neighbors’ concerns about expanding the “rural neighborhood activity node” at Morrow Mill Road and N.C. 54.
Thomas Cheek, whose family bought the farm on Morrow Mill Road in 1957, said Fiddlehead Corner is a better use of the land than the 14 to 16 houses he always planned to build. Now in his 70s, Cheek wants to retire with his wife to their home and remaining 35 acres, including four acres of muscadine grapes.
The Hands Four “vision is an absolute dream,” Cheek said. “That’s what the county should be doing and more individual groups should be doing. … They have done their due diligence, and I believe it’s going to be a fabulous place.”
Many neighbors who spoke at the Planning Board meetings fear rezoning could bring suburban growth to the rural area and tax the water supply and existing wells. They are also concerned about traffic, noise, years of construction, and environmental harm from the community septic system.
The plan extends the small commercial node for a project with no commercial uses, circumventing the land-use planning process, said craft artist Sadie Rapp, who lives nearby.
“Maintaining farmland is critical, not only to the identity and image of the county, but to our resiliency as a region,” she said. Approving the project “would negatively impact the ability of Morrow Mill and Goldmine residents to build the future that serves our collective needs.”
Cooperative members, some of whom live nearby, said they hope to grow old within walking distance of friends and activities. Orange County could see a 68% increase in the number of residents age 65 and older by 2040, according to the recent Master Aging Plan. The county’s Advisory Board on Aging has written a letter supporting Fiddlehead Corner’s plan.
“I have been involved in the contra dance community for 25 years, and I know personally that the social fabric of this community is extremely important to the physical and mental health of its members,” Four Hands member Stephen Stiebel said.
? Location: 90 acres at 5824 Morrow Mill Road
? What’s there: A 125-acre farm, with a forest and a farmhouse built in 1957
? What’s planned: Up to 49 single-family homes, 41 duplexes and triplexes, and 60 three-story flats, all with universal design standards for adults with disabilities. Up to two family care homes.
? Affordable housing: None, but housing could be 600 to 1,800 square feet, with smaller units costing less.
? Amenities: Activity center, fitness and health facilities, pickleball courts, walking trails and recreation space, an outdoor pavilion, community gardens, and buildings for woodworking, photography and other activities.
? Traffic: The project could add 1,278 daily trips, most to and from an entrance off Morrow Mill Road. A second exit off Gold Mine Loop Road would serve emergency vehicles. Stop signs proposed for the Morrow Mill and Gold Mine Loop entrances, and turn lanes at Morrow Mill Road and N.C. 54 and at the neighborhood.
TG
The News & Observer
Tammy Grubb has written about Orange County’s politics, people and government since 2010. She is a UNC-Chapel Hill alumna and has lived and worked in the Triangle for over 30 years.
A conversation from last month’s Forum On The Hill series explored how access to high-quality childcare is getting both more expensive and difficult to find, posing challenges for working families.Access to high-quality childcare sets kids up for a lifetime of success, said Research Director at NC Child Neil Harrington during the ‘The Crisis Within Childcare’ panel – as it encourages positive social, emotional, cognitive, and ph...
A conversation from last month’s Forum On The Hill series explored how access to high-quality childcare is getting both more expensive and difficult to find, posing challenges for working families.
Access to high-quality childcare sets kids up for a lifetime of success, said Research Director at NC Child Neil Harrington during the ‘The Crisis Within Childcare’ panel – as it encourages positive social, emotional, cognitive, and physical development. And while access to care is crucial for working families, he said it is not always something they can afford.
The price of childcare has more than doubled since 2000, Harrington explained, outpacing the cost of other expenses, like housing and groceries. Currently, the state average for childcare is about $13,000 a year, and it is even higher in Orange County, he said.
And that is if parents can secure a spot for their child. Independent nanny and childcare advocate Anne Sutton Gray said waitlists for infant care can be up to a year long nationwide.
“Daycares are saying that parents should get on a waitlist as soon as they find out they’re pregnant, which can be scary if you didn’t know that,” she said. “And costs are more than mortgages, and the staff still are not paid a living wage.”
Gray said childcare programs are struggling to attract and maintain a high-quality staff, resulting in fewer programs at higher prices.
It is a crisis currently leaving one in three families struggling to find childcare, and Gray said because families typically move to the Triangle for work, they usually do not have additional family members around to help with coverage.
“It seems like an easy fix, “Oh, just have the grandparents take care of them,’ but that’s just not reality for most parents,” she said. “So they’re ready and willing to put their kids into a high-quality care situation that’s just not available to them.”
According to a North Carolina Chamber of Commerce study, the childcare issue costs the state about $5.65 million per year. And Harrington said the majority of the loss is a direct result of parents dropping out of the workforce to take care of their kids.
Across North Carolina, last year saw about 100,000 fewer workers of young kids in the workforce than there were four years ago, the research director said.
“Businesses across the state are struggling to hire workers, but we have this pool of workers that could be working, and many want to work – but they’re not, because they’re dealing with childcare issues,” Harrington said.
Gray described the crisis as a systemic issue, needing long-term, sustainable funding sources to solve.
“Because the parents can’t pay any more than they’re paying, that’s true. So we have to go beyond that,” she said. “We need help from our local government, from big foundations. We’re going to have to get a little creative there.”
For example, Gray suggested having the county pay for more spaces to host childcare programs, stating how the funds typically reserved for mortgage and rent costs could be redirected towards raising staff wages.
Even after-school and summer organizations feel the strain of the childcare industry. Senior Youth Director for the Chapel Hill-Carrboro YMCA Kaitlyn Boigner said a lack of space to host programs is currently the facility’s biggest challenge.
“We are bursting at the seams with kids,” she said. “When it comes to our on-site programs, we have over 200 kids there in a day, and when we’re sharing a space with people who are working out, and when we have that limited ability to go into other spaces, it really makes it tough to scale up when we do see a need, and we would love to scale up and create more access.”
Since 2021, Harrington said North Carolina Child Care Stabilization Grants have helped childcare providers stay open, raise wages for staff, and ultimately serve more families. He said more support like this towards childcare providers will be a big step in solving the crisis.
And it is crucial to solve it, the research director continued, citing how high-quality childcare sees positive developmental and educational impacts, like higher reading scores, graduation rates, and lifetime earnings.
But Boigner also encouraged investing in community-supported programs, monetarily or through volunteer efforts.
“Our kids matter, and our kids deserve a safe, positive place to go after school and to go when they can’t be in the care of their parent or guardian,” she said. “These kids are the future, and so we should give them the attention and the resources they deserve.”
To hear the full discussion of the ‘Crisis Within Childcare’ panel, visit Chapelboro’s Forum On The Hill page.
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