'Such a relief': Hellgate Elementary opens new on-site childcare facility for staff

According to Blakely, staff often had to take time off work to take care of their kids because of the business hours of other childcare facilities. With the new on-site facility, parents can assure that their child is cared for all day, and reaching their children is much easier if they need to breast feed or if other issues arise, she said.

Blakely said that it has been a “long-time dream” of hers to start a childcare facility on campus.

“It will help support employee retention, reduce stress for working parents and make it easier for our educators and staff to focus on what they do best, serving our students, knowing their children are nearby and well cared for.”

Although the childcare facility is not free for staff, Blakely said that it is on the lower end of what childcare costs in Missoula.

The new facility is run by Kinsey Henthorn, who has her elementary education degree and a history of working in childcare. Henthorn said she always wanted to start her own facility, which drove her to apply for the position.

“I’ve always wanted to start my own childcare, working with kids and providing a safe and nurturing place for all families that are welcome here,” Henthorn said. “I hope for it to be super convenient and easy, stress-free for staff that work here, and to have the love and the care for the kiddos.”

Henthorn has been working on the space that sits within the second- through third-grade building since the end of last school year. The large space has its own access door and a private bathroom which made it ideal for the new facility.

“We’re making sure that everyone feels happy where they’re at and that their kids are being cared for,” Henthorn said. “I’m just super grateful for everything that’s aligned.”

The childcare facility is for children ages 6 weeks to 4 years old, when children turn 4, they can be enrolled in the school's Early Learning Program that is funded by the state. The facility currently has around seven kids, but as staff come back from maternity leave Blakely said they expect around 10 throughout the school year.

According to Blakely, when she told one of the staff members about the new facility, the teacher said she was “jumping up and down with happy tears because it was such a relief.”

Addison Chamberlain, the Early Learning Program teacher, is a first-time parent, and she said that their family was hesitant to enroll their infant somewhere far away from them. Knowing that her son is only a few minutes away gives her peace of mind to stay more focused in the classroom and give students the attention they deserve, she said.

“We’ve been really impressed with the staff,” Chamberlain said. “They are really knowledgeable, really comforting, the space is really nurturing, our son has done great. They’re really great at communicating and super willing to let us pop by when we want to. Parents are feeling really comforted by that.”

This week was the facility's soft launch, but it will officially open when staff returns next week. The school year starts for students on Aug. 26.

“Speaking on behalf of other moms, it’s taking away a lot of stress that we would have if they were at other childcare facilities,” Chamberlain said. “It makes it a lot easier to come back and do our jobs and I think it’s going to be well appreciated by the teachers in our school district. All school districts could benefit from having something like that.”