A plea from the director and staff of Little Lambs Day Care to help find a new location

Editor's Note: Be aware that a small group of church and community members is actively seeking a solution. No one wants the children to lose the care nor the staff to lose their jobs. The church knows that Little Lambs is a successful program, but may be outgrowing the space available.

Little Lambs daycare restarted in 2008 under the sponsorship of First United Methodist Church of Silver City. Little Lambs is currently one of few daycares that are located in the Grant County area. We are a three-STAR FOCUS program, and at the beginning of the New Year we will be verified to reach a goal of becoming a four STAR. A four-star program is defined by high standards by the State of New Mexico Children Youth and Families Department (CYFD) in many areas: curriculum planning, health and safety practices, continuous improvement, and early childhood education. As of now we provide services for 75 children and families. We employ 17 teachers/employees under the First United Methodist Church 501(c)3 designation.

 Little Lambs is a non-profit daycare that in 2015 was awarded a four-year 500k grant through the state of New Mexico Pre-K Program and CYFD. This grant gave Little Lambs the chance to expand its services. Thirty children from the community were recruited and given a chance at an early education at no charge to families.

About a month ago, Valerie Flores, the current Director of Little Lambs, was given a six-month notice from the First United Methodist Church Board of Trustees to move out by June 1. If Little Lambs cannot find a suitable facility and a sponsor, then the day care may have to shut down. This would mean that the 500k grant will be terminated, 75 families will be left without any childcare, and 17 employees out of jobs.

The need for childcare in Silver City is a large need of our community because we are located in a poor rural location. The childrenG