AG 2004 08 16 - Laserfiche WebLink

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2004-05 Availability Grant NEED STATEMENT Cabarrus County has 69.7% of its population in the labor force with a high rate of those working outside the county at 46.9%. On July 30, 2003, it was announced that Pillowtex, one of the oldest textile plants ia Cabarrus County was closing and that over 4,000 persons would be without jobs. The prospects for jobs within the county are not good. Those persons finding work will likely need to travel longer distances. This indicates a great need of our families to have a safe and nurturing place for their children to learn and grow while they are at work. Bethel Kids:Plus has been a very small school built in 1940. The afterschool program was housed in an old garage with very little updated equipment and supplies. The Bethel community will be getting a new school in July 2004. They will go ~om an enrollment of 400 studems to 600 studems. Elementary studems will be re-assigned to Bethel Elementary from four other schools. Only one other day care center in the area provides care in the Bethel community. Because of the remote area of the school, no other day care center provides van transportation from the school to their day care center. Bethel Kids:Plus already has 25 new school-age children on their waiting list for the fall. Bethel's currently enrollment is 50 a~erschool children and five staff members. Harrisburg Kids:Plus is in a very populated area of Cabarrus County. Many parents in the area commute to Charlotte and like the convenience and security of the Harrisburg Kids:Plus site. Harrisburg has had a waiting for 20-30 children for the past several years. The demand is so great in the Harrisburg community that they receive at least three calls a week requesting childcare. To assist with meeting the needs of the community, they contacted the licensing consultant in March about expanding their licensing capacity l~om 115 to 175. The program will l -to