Lincoln church offers space to child care programs that need it

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – A Lincoln church is taking a proactive approach to the child care crisis, opening its doors to programs in need.

Christ United Methodist Church shut down its child care program in November, creating a void that left an impact on the community.

“There was a definite feeling of loss when we shut down our day care center,” the Rev. Andy Frazier said.

It also left an empty space at the church, but the congregation decided to put the space to use.

Lincoln Littles gave Frazier the opportunity to host other child care programs.

“We were sitting in a meeting, and I had this idea,” Frazier said. “I thought, ‘I don’t know if this would work or not, but what if we try to have two tenants in our space?’ And it snowballed from there.”

The church allowed the Malone Center to use the space during the construction of its new building.

The Malone Center would have had to shut the program down if it weren’t for the church.

“Having kids here and just hearing their happy noises and letting them use the basketball court and green spaces has brought new life into this space,” Frazier said.

Christ United Methodist Church is also finalizing plans to host Bluestem Montessori, a program that is looking to double the number of its children.

“We’ll be able to offer child care to more Lincoln families, and that is huge for us,” said Laura Roberts, executive director of Bluestem Montessori.

Roberts said the church saved its program.

Lincoln Littles said the final steps for city approval are in the works, and Bluestem hopes to move to the church in July.