In home licensed family care options

Early Childhood Corner
By Marisa K. Kunnemann
Imperial Republican Correspondent
We’ve talked about the Preschool and Child Care Centers in Imperial. There are three options for licensed Family Child Care Homes. Some of this information can be found on the Child Care Roster on the dhhs.ne.gov website.
Billie Jo Benge opened her Family Home Child Care in 2000. She is a FCCH I and is licensed for 10 children ages six weeks to 13 years. She is located at 212 W 4th Street and is open from 7 am to 5 pm Monday through Friday. Billie Jo participates in the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) with Family Service Lincoln.
Billie Jo shared that she “loves to do activities and crafts with the children and spends lots of time outdoors. I have completed all the training required by Regulations including all the Early Learning Guidelines, CPR/First Aid, and Safe With You Training.  I have recently completed a 30 hour Business Management class offered by Nebraska Early Childhood Collaborative.”
For more information call 883-1232 or email bdbenge@gmail.com.
Sue Knobbe is a licensed FCCH I. Sue participates in the CACFP with Family Service Lincoln and has a Step 1 rating with Step Up to Quality. She has completed training required by Regulations including the Early Learning Guidelines, CPR/First Aid, and Safe With You Training.  Sue shared that
“I’ve cared for children for 27 years & have been a licensed provider for the last 10. We (children & I) are a play based childcare, meaning we focus on the interests of the children each day. Many indoor learning & play activities are available to work on fine motor skills, puzzles, coloring, working with manipulative, blocks, & sorting are a just a few to choose from! Outdoor play is a must, where we work on gross motor skills with ride on toys, climbing, swinging, & running. Water play is a favorite over the last few weeks! Social/emotional development is so important at this young age! We focus on being kind, safe & respectful to our friends and actions that reflect these. I currently care for little ones from 7mo to 5yrs. It’s a joy to have the opportunity to watch these children learn & grow!” Sue added that she is currently full through next summer.
Marisa Kunnemann opened 12th Street Child Care in September 1997 and moved to the current location at 140 West 4th Street as Marisa’s Playhouse in March 2003. The Playhouse is a FCCH II and licensed for 12 children ages six weeks to 13 years. Marisa currently keeps her enrollment at 8 children under five years-old as she does not have an employee.
“We have a 24/7 license but maintain operating hours of 6:30 am to 5 pm Monday through Friday. The Playhouse has a current contract with Subsidy and participates in the CACFP with Family Service Lincoln. The Playhouse participates in Nebraska’s Step Up to Quality program and is rated as a Step 5 facility. The Playhouse has a play-based curriculum where the children are free to choose where, what, and how they want to play. Materials are developmentally age appropriate. Learning is obtained through play with open-ended questions used to encourage conversation about colors, letters, numbers, shapes, and the environment. Because we focus on play, social-emotional, self-regulation, and self-help skills, we encourage pre-school age children to attend local pre-school programs to help prepare them for the different environment of school.”
Marisa has completed all the training required by Regulations and usually completes more than 50 hours yearly training, with at least 25 hours of that state approved. Marisa is a member of the National Association for the Education of Young Children and Nebraska Family Child Care Association. In 2023, Marisa completed the requirements for the Nebraska Association for Infant Mental Health Endorsement Infant Family Associate which recognizes training accepted by the State of Nebraska.
For more information call 308-882-4818 or email marisasplayhouse@gpcom.net.
There are several License Exempt providers in Imperial. License Exempt providers care for less than four children without needing a license through the state. Because they are not registered with DHHS, unless they accept Subsidy payments, there is no official listing of these providers.