OWENSVILLE — Assistant Superintendent Dr. Staci Johnson addressed the Gasconade County R-2 Board of Education on March 16 about adding a staff position to the district’s employee-only daycare program.

Johnson gave the board an update about the program.

“We started the program (in 2025). We started with 10 babies and toddlers. We are now up to 16 to finish the year, and we just keep getting more babies,” said Johnson.

She said that the program is up to 24 babies and toddlers for the 2026-27 school year.

“If you’ll remember, you approved two lead caretakers to start the year and three paraprofessionals,” said Johnson.

The district filled two lead caretakers and two of the three paraprofessional positions, and they haven’t had to add because they were able to move kids around and be flexible.

“So in terms of what it’s costing us this year, about $110,000 for those four positions, and the rooms were outfitted off of last year’s budget,” Johnson said. “Then I put in there what it would cost us to do an additional lead and para, an additional just para, an additional just lead, and talk about where the different classroom spaces are.”

Her first priority for next year is staffing.

“What we are going to need if we do not want to waitlist any babies or toddlers, we are going to need to add another lead caretaker,” said Johnson.

She gave the board four different options to look at for adding a caretaker to expand services at the daycare, with the total cost to the district, including:

• Option one is adding a Gerald Elementary School (GES) location ($151,287.58)

• Option two is adding a GES expansion and adding two staff members ($169,051.37)

• Option three is an Owensville Elementary School (OES) expansion, and adding two staff members ($169,051.37)

• Option four was for no room expansion and adding one staff member ($135, 287.56)

Johnson said that option four is a bad option.

“I put it on there because I want you to see and visualize what it would be like to possibly have up to somewhere between 11 to 14 babies in one room,” said Johnson.

The staff positions and the rooms cost $130,000 for the district to use for the current school year. Johnson said that all of the teachers who utilized the daycare this year have stayed with the district, fulfilling their goal to retain staff.

“Forty-two percent of our staff are in the first five years in the profession,” she said. “We could see that we are going to have the need to continue childcare in the future.”

Johnson said that the board may want to consider raising tuition rates to help pay for daycare workers’ salaries.

“If we looked at raising it, a $1 a day or $2 a day, for every dollar, we’d recoup almost $4,000 paying for salaries,” said Jonson.

Superintendent Dr. Jeri Kay Hardy asked Johnson to clarify what she would have the board do.

“You’re asking about just the staffing, right?” asked Hardy.

“What I would recommend is that we go ahead and approve that we’re going to need a sixth person because of the numbers,” said Johnson.

Johnson said there was an incident at the beginning of March when a group from Sullivan came in to tour the daycare and half the staff were out sick because of germs that spread.

“We were able to cover the room still because they were all in the same space,” Johnson said.

Board President Glenn Ely said they should focus on the staffing first.

“So we’ll focus on staffing,” said Ely. “It sounds like there’s still a way to focus and build on the retention piece. How do we balance a growing population?”

Board member Debbie Landolt asked about the teacher-to-baby ratio.

“How many babies did we say are per teacher right now?” asked Landolt.

“Five to start the year and then six coming,” said Johnson.

“Are we inadvertently creating children?” asked Ely.

“We are expanding the student population in the district,” said Hardy.

Ely recommended that the board approve adding an on-site staff lead caretaker for the 2026-27 school year. The board approved the action with a 7-0 vote.

The next board of education meeting will be at 6 p.m. on April 20 in the Administration office.