Commission reaches no decision on county child care

After a Wednesday public hearing on county child-care policies, the Callaway County Commission took no action on developing a child-care policy.

The subject arose when Callaway County Clerk Denise Hubbard decided last week to create a child-care policy for her office that permits employees to bring infants under 8 months of age to the office daily.

Since mid-July Hubbard has been bringing her child Rachel, who was born July 9, to work each day.

Hubbard said the policy applies only to infants who have not reached the crawling stage, generally between 6 and 8 months of age.

She said the policy does not permit bringing a child older than this on a regular basis to work.

Callaway County Presiding Commissioner Gary Jungermann said at the start of the meeting that it was a fact-finding hearing and no decisions would be reached on any child-care policy the commission might eventually set.

Jungermann said his main concerns are the safety and liability issues relating to allowing child care in the courthouse workplace and how to adopt even-handed policies for the county's 160 employees.

To help the tornado-stricken people of Dumas and surroundings, donations can be made to the Delta Area Disaster Relief Fund, care of the Delta Area Community Foundation, P.O. Box 894, Dumas, AR, 71639, or through the Arkansas Community Foundation, 700 S. Rock St., Little Rock, AR, 72202.