Helen R. Walton Children’s Enrichment Center to Offer Emergency Childcare in Response to COVID-19
Services for Critical Employees in Maintaining Northwest Arkansas Infrastructure
Beginning on March 30, 2020, the Helen R. Walton Children’s Enrichment Center will begin offering emergency child care to families employed in maintaining the critical infrastructure of Northwest Arkansas due to COVID-19. This includes families that work in the Commercial Facilities, Communications, Critical Manufacturing, Emergency Services, Energy, Financial Services, Food and Agriculture, Government Facilities, Healthcare and Public Health, Transportation Systems, Water and Wastewater Systems.
The childcare slots, for children 6 weeks to 5 years of age, will be available thru April 17. The Helen R. Walton Children’s Enrichment Center leadership will continue to review the timeframe as the pandemic unfolds and extend as needed. Tuition will be based on the Helen R. Walton Children’s Enrichment Center’s sliding scale tuition model, which can be found at https://hwcec.org/enrollment.
We will have two rooms open for emergency care for those in critical community infrastructure, and children will not be blended into existing classrooms. Helen R. Walton Children’s Enrichment Center will follow CDC and Arkansas Department of Health guidelines for health checks on students before entering the classroom, and the parent is not feeling well, Helen R. Walton Children’s Enrichment Center staff will escort the child to class and bring the child to the front desk at the end of the day.
These services are being offered to maintain the region’s infrastructure so we can appropriately respond to COVID-19, and is a temporary service available to families until their normal early childhood education program can reopen.
For parents that are interested in learning more or enrolling their child(ren), please contact Julie Wilson at jwilson@hwccenter.com or 479.273.3552. For media inquiries, please contact Michelle Barnes at mbarnes@hwccenter.com or 479.273.3552.
