Local childcare and education facilities respond to coronavirus

WASILLA — The Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District and schools across the state will remain closed for the remaining month of March to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.

Closing the schools has left many families to figure out where to bring their children during the day.

Local daycare centers like Mouse Trap Play School are at capacity. State funded early childhood programs like CCS Early Learning closed their facilities to follow suit with the school district.

Like the public schools, CCS was closed during spring break. CCS Early Learning Executive Director Mark Lackey said CCS didn’t reopen like it normally would have March 16.

He said CCS will remain closed for the rest of the week and perhaps the next, but that part is still uncertain.

“Right now, we’re following the lead of the school district,” Lackey said. “Our board might decide to go ahead and shut down for the month like the schools have, but we just haven’t made those decisions yet. This week we’ll make those decisions.”

Lackey said that he didn’t know what was going on with the local daycare facilities but he noted those will have a harder time since they’re not state backed programs.

“They’re in a much, much tougher spot than we are. We’re grant funded, you know. We don’t rely on tuition payments,” Lackey said.

Lackey said CSS has been keeping families up to date and regularly posts announcements on their Facebook page.

Mouse Trap Play School owner Marlene Stephens said last week was more hectic than this one but this week has been starting off pretty good.

“It’s been a good day, The parents are being really good. We just don’t know if we’re going to be open or closed. That’s our biggest concern,” Stephens said.

For the time being, Mouse Trap is keeping its regular hours, but the facility is at capacity. Stephens said they’re making it through the mass shortages of toilet paper and other essential items at grocery stores because they’re always prepared.

“That’s how we do it here. We never run out. I mean, yes I was concerned about getting milk and bread this morning but I got it… Our parents were so good today. Some brought us milk in, or waffles. ‘Just don’t close the doors’ they said,” Stephens said. “I was like, ‘we’re doing this best we can’ because we can’t afford to close either.”

“I just hope everything gets over with pretty soon. Let’s get back to normal, whatever the new normal is,” Stephens said with a laugh. “Just wait. Live each day one day at a time. That’s all we can do, is get through this day and see what happens tomorrow.”

The Mat-Su Boys and Girls Club is also following the school district’s lead. They closed their facility Monday and will remain closed until further notice.

Staff members like Joshua Rinck will be deep cleaning the facility during this closure. He said that he doesn’t know when they’ll be able to open but he doesn’t anticipate that being sooner than March 30.

“We can’t open until the schools are going again,” Rinck said.

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman reporter Jacob Mann at jacob.mann@frontiersman.com