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The Discovery Center of Springfield Inc. is fundraising for an emergency child care program for health care workers.
SBJ file photo
The Discovery Center of Springfield Inc. is fundraising for an emergency child care program for health care workers.

Discovery Center offers child care for health care workers

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The Discovery Center of Springfield Inc. announced it will offer child care for health care workers as the community ramps up its response to the coronavirus pandemic.

In a news release issued this morning, Discovery Center officials said fundraising is underway to pay for the emergency educational and child care initiative. The release also indicated the center has been closed to the public.

"The incredible and capable health care community can only be in position and ready to save your life or the life of somebody you love if they know that their child or children are being cared for so that they can go into work," Discovery Center Executive Director Rob Blevins said in the release.

Reached via Facebook Messenger this morning, Blevins said roughly $2,000 in donations have been secured so far.

The Discovery Center is offering discounted memberships to fill in the donation gaps, he said. The nonprofit expects it would take roughly $10,000 per day to fully fund the program without asking for membership money from the working parents. The funding goes toward staff, food and operations, he said.

"We expect to be able to serve 360 kids per day in camps of 20," he said.

Blevins said the program would continue at least until schools reopen. Springfield Public Schools yesterday announced that its district will be closed at least through April 3, following similar announcements by 11 other districts, including Nixa and Ozark.

CFO fund
Community Foundation of the Ozarks announced yesterday the creation of the COVID-19 Response and Recovery Fund to accept charitable donations to support local nonprofits' work amid the coronavirus outbreak.

The foundation is seeding the fund with $10,000, according to a news release.

CFO also established a website for its coronavirus efforts.

"We are all too familiar with seeing the effects of the immediate disaster evolve into longer-term needs that the nonprofit sector supports in invaluable ways," CFO President Brian Fogle said in the release. "If previous experience holds true, the same nonprofits asked to step up may be further challenged with fundraising, event cancellations, staffing issues and other factors related to this national emergency.”

SBJ is providing coronavirus coverage for free so that all readers have access. It is our desire to keep the business community informed of the most important news and guidance on the outbreak. Complete COVID-19 coverage can be accessed here.

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