The former Rumford Lodge of Elks building on River Street in Rumford will be the site of a YMCA Early Childhood Education Center this spring. It will be first of its kind in Oxford County, Chief Executive Officer Steven W. Wallace said. Bruce Farrin/Rumford Falls Times
RUMFORD — The YMCA of Auburn-Lewiston plans to open an early childhood education center this spring at the former Rumford Lodge of Elks hall at 60 River St., Chief Executive Officer Steven W. Wallace said.
“We don’t like to call it child care anymore because there’s so much more,” he said. “Our goal is to make sure the kiddos arrive at kindergarten ready to learn. Early childhood education is our mission, to make sure that kids are set up to succeed.”
Wallace said the YMCA is the single largest child care provider in the state and the country.
The center would be the first of its kind in Oxford County.
“I have 25 full-time employees at my seven Y locations in Androscoggin County,” Wallace said.
The Rumford center will have a site director, a primary teacher and two floaters.
A job fair will be held from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at the Rumford Public Library, 56 Rumford Ave. Applicants must bring resumes.
“If you are passionate about wanting to see kids succeed, and you want to work and take care of kids in the Rumford area, please come visit us and check us out,” Wallace said.
The executive director of early childhood education and the executive director of youth development will attend.
“We’ll be giving interviews on the spot,” Wallace said. “And if you fit into the model, are willing to work with us, then we will give initial offers on the spot.”
“We have a donor — the Betterment Fund — knowing that staffing these facilities can be difficult, they’ve given us an incremental grant to make sure we’ve got great-paying jobs for these folks,” he said.
Wallace said they plan to open 60 to 90 days after the job fair.
“And that’s because when we actually hire the staff, they will job shadow and work at one of our other centers, go through all of their training, all of their certifications. We have our own internal program that includes CPR, first aid, AED, appropriate touch, mandatory reporting.
“They’ll train for 30 to 45 days with us and then, once we feel we have a site director and three other staff that are fully trained and dedicated to this center, then we’ll move the equipment, supplies to 60 River St., get the place painted and fixed up the way that we’d like, some minor construction,” Wallace said. “During that time, we’ll finish the licensing requirements and then we’ll advertise, about 30 days before we want to open, to bring the initial 20 kids in.”
They’re looking to bring 20 children initially.
“The next step would be breaking that up into preschool and pre-K, which will bring us up to 34 kids,” Wallace said. “And then, after more modifications, we’ll have the ability to bring in older infants and toddlers. That center will hold up to 62 kiddos, but that’s more than a year out, just because that building is going to require some upgrades in order for us to be able to do that.”
Wallace said they’ve been working more than a year on this concept. It began when Rumford Economic Development Director George O’Keefe, Town Manager Stacy Carter and the Board of Selectmen asked if the YMCA would consider expanding services.
“We go where people ask us to be, if there’s a need,” Wallace said. “We’re not there to compete with other folks or try to put somebody out of business.”
Matt Kaubris, president of the Friends of River Valley, said they had been working with Wallace in trying to locate the center at the former St. John’s School on Maine Avenue, but it was not feasible.
Friends of River Valley focuses on providing community-based, tangible solutions to help improve nutrition, wellness and education for children and families in the Androscoggin River valley.
Wallace said they are working with business partners Derek Tabor and Jeff Harris, owners of the Elks building.
Tabor said it’s important for Rumford to have a YMCA presence and they will “facilitate in any way possible” to keep them here.
Wallace said United Way of Oxford County provided money to make the building viable for a long-term children’s education center.
“We’re going to take 90 days of operational costs on our back, prior to ever making a dime on this center,” Wallace said. “And we’ve already spent thousands looking into the feasibility of it. That’s where the United Way and the Betterment Fund has really helped make this happen,” he said.
“And the Friends of the River Valley has absolutely been helpful getting information out as well as pledges on committing funds. So this has truly been a community effort,” he said.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
