Christina Buckner may live in South Holland, Ill., but she hasn’t given up on Gary – the city where she grew up.
Buckner, who already runs two day care centers in Gary, wants to open a third facility. On Monday, the Common Council gave its approval to a special use permit that rezones a house she bought in the 4200 block of West 21st Avenue to allow it to become a day care center.
Buckner, who moved from Gary to the Chicago south suburb four years ago, said she will use the house that previously was vacant and convert it into a facility for up to a dozen children.
It would be open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. weekdays, with the intent being to provide a place where mothers can send their children during the hours they’re not in school.
Buckner operates two other facilities, both of which handle children at all hours of the day and night. She told the Common Council she sees the third facility as one that would supplement the existing two in that one facility can now serve as a place for older children, while the needs of infants and younger children can be tended to in a separate place.
“We can move the older children into their own place,” Buckner said. “Older children right after school can be a bit hyper, they can be a bit rough and should have their own space.”
Mayor Karen Freeman-Wilson urged council members to support the measure, saying she thinks it improves the surrounding residential neighborhood by eliminating a house that otherwise would be sitting vacant.
While Buckner said she thinks her facility will benefit the neighborhood. “It’s always my intent to help children in the community,” she said.
Ann Walker, a Gary resident who lives in the neighborhood, questioned whether such a need exists, since she says many of the people living around there are elderly people.
“Where are they getting these children,” Walker said. “There’s a lot of old people who live there.”
The council voted 7-1 in favor of the measure, with Councilwoman Linda Barnes Caldwell, D-5th, opposing the idea. Councilwoman Carolyn Rogers was absent.
Councilwoman LaVetta Sparks-Wade, D-6th, voted for the measure, even though she admitted she’d prefer it if Buckner actually lived on the premises – instead of planning to close at 10 p.m. every night.
Councilwoman Ragen Hatcher, D-At large, said she is satisfied knowing that state regulations guide the operations of day care centers. “The ‘buck’ will ultimately stop with the state of Indiana,” she said.
Buckner, who said she had to work for 17 months to come up with financing for remodeling of the house to make it acceptable as a day care facility, said she hopes to open for business by August.
Aides to Buckner have said they expect the new facility to start out with about 10 children, with potential to grow to a capacity of 15.
Gregory Tejeda is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
