As of December 30, 2009, the county is out of the childcare business.

During their Dec. 30 meeting, the county commissioners signed a contract with Transitions, the Colorado not-for-profit corporation taking over operation of Custer County Kids’ Club and Custer County Youth Club.

Kids’ Club is a licensed day care and after school facility for children preschool through fifth grade. The facility is located downstairs in the Custer County Preschool at 118 Jerry Court. The program opened in March 2009.

Hours of operation are Monday through Friday. The program includes, snacks, weekly field trips, computers and playground. Instructors are Terri Chambers and Lisa Kaufman.

To date, there are 21 kids enrolled in the program, however, the children attend part-time on various days.

Call Kids Club at 783-2112 for more information or to sign-up a child.

The youth club is an after-school and summer educational program for teens. According to the Transition contract, the group meets at Hanssen Haus Resource Center adjacent to the county courthouse.

In the contract, the county transferred all equipment, furniture and operating supplies from both programs to Transitions, which will be run by a board of directors.

An unnamed source has told the Tribune that there are no current Custer County School teens attending the youth club, and county commissioner Carole Custer’s son, Ken Custer, had been hired to run the youth club program.

In March 2009, commissioner Custer came under fire for hiring her son to serve as director of a middle school after school program. Mikki Campbell was hired as high school director of the after school teen club. Both persons were hired without opening the positions up to the general public, while due process was followed in the hiring of Kids’ Club employees.

At the time, commissioner Custer said she did not open the two youth club positions to the general public because the programs were on a six to nine month probationary period.

After learning of the alleged ethical violations, commissioners Lynn Attebery and Jim Austin suspended the middle and high school programs, as well as the employment of the two.

The Tribune has confirmed that on March 31, 2009, Ken Custer was paid $2,500 for one month as director of the middle school teen program. Campbell was paid a one-half month salary in 2009 totaling $1,134.

The Custer County Youth Club for all local teens was established soon after the suspension of the two teen programs.

Current Kids’ Club board members are Carole Custer, Bob Tobin, Jean Mavromatis, Charlotte Havey, Terri Eiland, Marlys Hartbauer, Laura Lockhart, Lisa Kaufman, Terri Chambers, Wendy Rusk and Shelly Penkoff.

To date, there are no Youth Club board members, said Bob Tobin.

Board members from the Kids’ Club and youth club will serve on the newly formed Transitions board, said Tobin.

Custer County went into the childcare business last year to get the two programs up and running.

County funds, Colorado Temporary Assistance to Needy Families dollars and state childcare money were used to equip and operate the children and youth programs.

With salaries, over $100,000 was spent to get Kids Club up and running while $12,000 was spent to get the Youth Club going. TANF reimbursements to Kids’ Club totaled $109,000. TANF dollars through Custer County School totaling $114,8888 were also used to make upgrades to the playground at the facility on Jerry Court, which is used by Kids’ Club and Custer County Preschool.

As of Jan. 1, 2010, no county funds are being expended and TANF dollars to Kids’ Club only for 2010 total $35,000.

Grant dollars and donations are being sought to keep the two programs up and running.

– Nora Drenner