May 28,2010 - Millville - MILLVILLE -- Bethel AME Church will start its own child daycare facility on Aug. 2, while the program it will replace hopes to find a new location elsewhere in the city.

Pastor Charles Wilkins said his South 5th Street church will host a new day- care program for 50 to 60 families with kids ages 18 months to 5 years old. Tuition for the yearround program will be offered at a sliding scale to residents based on their income, but families can apply for the New Jersey Cares for Kids voucher program. The Bethel Learning Center will be run in conjunction with the Quality Care Resource & Referral Services office in Vineland, he said.
The church hosted the Head Start program run by Tri-County Community Action Partnership for the past 10 years, but Wilkins said the church has always had plans to run their own program.
"We've been blessed to have Tri-County here, but this is another part of Bethel's ministry expansion," he said.
Tri-County president Albert Kelly said the organization is talking to landlords in the city. Tri-County wants to move into a new facility by the time its lease with Bethel runs out on June 30 so it won't have to shut down for any period of time, he said.
The federally funded Head Start program provides daycare for more than 50 kids from infants to toddlers in four classrooms, Kelly said.
"We want to serve our clientele," he said. "There is a great need in Millville and we're looking to stay where we're needed."
Bonnie Eggenburg, Head Start director for Tri-County, said the organization has six locations in Cumberland County and partners with four other centers. Eggenburg said the organization is planning a meeting to speak with the families about the change.
Millville resident Vanessa Liddick said she works 40 hours a week and relies on the Tri-County center to care for her 4-year-old daughter. She hopes there will be no gap in local services.
"This is affordable to everyone," she said. "A lot of the other daycares are very expensive."