Accomack Supervisors approve extension for Child Care Center Opening

By Linda Cicoira

Accomack supervisors approved an extension Wednesday for the opening of a childcare center at Shiloh Baptist Church in the Boston area of Painter.

Delays in the opening are due to never-ending state bureaucratic jumps required to start the non-profit. SBC Enterprises, or Shiloh Child Care, received $150,000 in coronavirus recovery grant funds and had agreed to open no later than Jan. 1, 2023. That deadline was previously extended to Dec. 31, 2023.

Michael Chandler, of SBC, asked for an additional extension of 45 days as he is waiting for a final state inspection. Chandler said after receiving the license, the state representative in charge of the project retired suddenly and another one quit the post. A new person has now taken over and things are expected to proceed soon.

Supervisor Reneta Major, of District 9, is a member of the church, and a supporter of the center. “They have had a lot of turnover,” she said of the state agency in charge of childcare. “That area of lower Accomack County is a desert … this is a major undertaking. They have done a magnificent job. We’re at the mercy of the state now.”