Maryland Community Newspapers Online
Providing child care for working parents has long been a goal of the Prince George's Child Resource Center, and a new grant may help the organization spread its mission to National Harbor in Oxon Hill.
About 60 percent of the 2,200 employees at the $4 billion project's Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center have young children who need care, said the hotel's Sheila Liverpool. Although Liverpool said she couldn't comment on how many workers have child care, she said it is likely many may lack resources.
"We want to help them do their job, as well as maintain commitments to their families," she said.
The child resource center, which refers working parents to child-care providers and offers training for providers, hopes to help Gaylord through a $27,000 grant from the Washington Area Women's Foundation.
"Part of the National Harbor model is to bring jobs, and this will help do that," said Phyllis Caldwell, president of the foundation, referring to opportunities for local child-care providers.
This grant targets employees, typically mothers making less than $30,000 annually, throughout the National Harbor area, but Gaylord has been the first employer to be truly receptive, said Marti Worshtil, executive director of the resource center. Worshtil said the service area around National Harbor has about 85 child-care centers and 200 providers. The center estimates at least 50 employees could benefit from its services.
Worshtil said her center will also offer training classes to child-care providers so that National Harbor workers know their children are getting high-quality care.
"It's great for us since this service is local in Prince George's, which fits into our mission of providing business to local residents and employers," Liverpool said.
Gaylord has asked the center for 1,000 brochures on its services and plans to advertise the center through its monthly employee magazine, National Navigator; its twice-weekly newsletter; its human resources office; and its communication centers.
Worshtil said the center should be able to provide the brochures soon and is working on identifying available providers.