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Mr. Graves wished to point out that the Child Care <br />Association of Indian River County. who are in opposition to his <br />proposal, is a trade association. He maintained that in this <br />instance they are very definitely lobbying. He believed that <br />they are dedicated to the enhancement of for-profit child care <br />centers only and to the benefit of their members. Apparently, it <br />is their opinion that schools for children of low income and <br />migrant families do not assist in the integration of these <br />children into the mainstream of our society. Mr. Graves believed <br />that opinion is not shared by anyone in the school district or <br />anyone in the criminal justice system. If it is the desire of <br />this Commission to restrict child care in such a way that there <br />is no affordable child care, then it is going to be the public's <br />responsibility somewhere along the way to meet the needs of these <br />(less fortunate children. In the meantime, he is offering a <br />solution that will not cost the taxpayers anything, and the only <br />thing he is asking is that the County meet them halfway. Mr. <br />Graves felt there is no doubt of the need for child care in this <br />county or the importance to the welfare of society that proper <br />child care offers, not to mention the welfare of the child. <br />However, he anticipated efforts to fund these services will <br />continue to be shifted from the federal and state levels down to <br />local levels. He urged the Commission to amend the ordinances to <br />allow for innovative solutions to be used and tried by business <br />to solve these problems by having child care services provided on <br />business premises. He believed everything could be resolved if <br />government could work with them rather than against them. At <br />this point he wished to introduce Shannon Tracy, program director <br />for the Redlands Christian Migrant Association. <br />Chairman Bird wished to ask a few questions before hearing <br />from Ms. Tracy, as he understood that it is Mr. Grave's intention <br />to operate this facility as a fringe benefit for his employees <br />without charging any fees. <br />Mr. Graves stated that families would pay according to their <br />ability. They could not charge what the -local child care centers <br />do because the employees could not afford it. <br />Chairman Bird asked what the total cost would be to comply <br />with the additional requirements for the exterior, and Mir. Graves <br />estimated that costs would run $60,000, and when added to the <br />$80,000 costs for the renovation of the building, would be <br />prohibitive to going ahead with the project. <br />Commissioner Bowman wanted someone to explain how this <br />facility will be funded, and Ms. Tracy advised that the Redlands <br />Christian Migrant Association is a non-profit, non-sectarian <br />41 <br />OCT 2 2 1991 <br />I�IJ. <br />XElor U� <br />