Beth Grubb believes this is a fresh start for the Sunshine Center, which has served the Independence community for more than 30 years.
“It means continued stability for the Sunshine Center in the future,” said the Sunshine Center’s executive director of the new partnership with the Independence School District. “We have been struggling for the last 35 years and with the economy, things have been even more difficult. This is really a great time for the Sunshine Center now that we are partnering with the school district.”
The Sunshine Center, which serves children birth to 5 years old in areas such as speech, physical and occupational therapy, officially became part of the Independence School District Sunday.
Independence Superintendent Jim Hinson said the agreement means the school district will settle all of the Sunshine Center’s past debts in order to take control of the building and property. He said those financial issues have not yet been finalized, so it is unclear how much exactly the school district will pay to purchase the Sunshine Center’s location, 18400 E. Salisbury Road.
Hinson said regardless of the district’s oversight of the Sunshine Center, the mission, goals and services will remain the same.
“This partnership will benefit not only the students that are there now, but will also continue the same type of services to our kids,” he said. “It will also allow us to have a greater partnership with the Sunshine Center staff – a positive partnership.”
The Sunshine Center has been hit hard by the economy. At the beginning of 2009, the center shut its original facility at 607 W. Lexington Ave. because of declining enrollment – combining services into the newly renovated Salisbury location. There are currently about 120 students who attend the Sunshine Center – 32 of whom are sent by the Independence School District for the Early Head Start program. It was because of the financial issues that the Sunshine Center approached the Independence district about forming some sort of partnership or merger earlier this year.
With the new agreement, school district students who are now on waiting lists for early education will be referred to the center. The move will also save the district about $330,000 each year in tuition to the Sunshine Center.
Grubb said she is most thankful for a smooth transition over the last few days. A transition, she said, that was so easy that unless parents had been told of the “change in management,” they would have never known the difference. All of the staff was rehired by the school district, classrooms remain the same and curriculum will not be changed at this time.
“It really has been truly wonderful,” she said. “It has been great for families. I think because we know that the school district is committed to the same mission, goals and values that we are. That has made this process so much easier.”
There are some changes, however, but Grubb said for the good. A new policy of having staff members take one unpaid day off each week has been lifted and tuition has actually decreased.
Tuition for children 3 to 5 years old – with or without special needs – has decreased from $165 to $150 a week. Tuition for children infant up to 2 years will stay at $200 each week. Funding comes not only from tuition, but from a variety of sources. The state of Missouri also subsidizes tuition for low-income parents in order to send their children to a day-care facility while they work.
Hinson said he is excited about the future possibilities of the Sunshine Center partnership.
“The district will have more control over the early education curriculum, which will look at over the coming months,” he said. “But the Sunshine Center is doing a good job and will continue to do a good job with educating those students. This is a benefit for everyone.”
