By Melissa Wagoner
When Alicia and Justin Roney learned their son Maverick’s daycare – the TLC Child Development Center located at Trinity Lutheran Church in Mt. Angel – was closing its doors, effective immediately, they panicked.
“My husband called the daycare and said, ‘What the heck? We need daycare,’” Alicia said, recalling the position they and dozens of other families who relied upon TLC for childcare found themselves in.
“It was the only childcare option,” Alicia said. “So, we said, we’ll take this on.”
And that’s exactly what they did. With Alicia’s sister, Natalie Olson, installed as head teacher, the Roneys opened their own childcare option – Sweet Pea Learning Center – in the fall of 2022.
“It’s been fun but a lot of work,” Alicia – who spends three days a week working at the center while continuing her work as a psychiatric nurse at the Oregon State Hospital – said. Adding, “The hardest is staffing because it’s so much more than finding someone who wants to work with children. We’re really competing – especially with Silverton – to find people.”
While staffing has been a continual problem, enrollment has not. In fact, when yet another daycare – the Providence Benedictine Child Development Center – closed its doors eight months ago, the Roney’s agreed to open another center, this time on the campus of John F. Kennedy High School.
“Rachel [Stucky] had the interest first,” Alicia said, crediting the Mt. Angel School District’s Superintendent with the initial idea. “She used to be the Director of Head Start.”
Designed to eventually offer a Pathways Program in Early Childhood Education to students at JFK, the center will initially offer discounted childcare for teachers and staff and free childcare to students.
“It’s a taboo topic,” Alicia said of the ongoing need teen parents have to access affordable childcare. “Nobody wants to talk about it…But it’s a passion project of mine.”
Initially offering two classroom aide positions beginning next semester, the program will give students interested in learning more about early childhood development hands-on experience working directly with the teachers and children.
“It’ll be learning as you go,” Alicia explained. “But that’s the best way to learn. And the goal is that, down the road, they can hire an early childhood teacher.” That will enable the school to offer a classroom component as well.
“We’re really excited,” Alicia said about the future. As of Oct. 30, she will be overseeing, not one, but two locations filled with children ages zero to five whose families rely upon Sweet Pea Learning Center for daily childcare.
“We have 35 families enrolled that depend on us to be there and be reliable,” she confirmed.
“And a lot of our families own businesses, so if we close, they close,” Justin continued.
“So, we never close because…you have to go to work,” Alicia finished. “And we’ve been welcomed with open arms.”
For information visit www.sweetpealearningcenter.com.
