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Child Care & Services

Bethany Christian Acadamy
309-342-3132
590 S Academy

Bridgeway
309-344-5437
2320 Veterans Dr
Bridgeway

Bright Futures
309-342-5582
932 Harrison St

Carl Sandburg College Childrens School
309-344-1780
2400 Tom L Wilson Blvd
Carl Sandburg College Childrens School

Children's World
309-342-4453
102 N Arthur

Community Child Care Resource & Referral
309-342-5582
1072 W North St

Kiddie Kollege
309-342-3567
1417 E Knox St

Knox County Day Nursey
309-342-4315
Prairie & South St

Knox County Even Start Program
309-343-5939
1017 W Dayton St

Lutheran Preschool & Day Care Center
309-734-5350
116 South B St, Monmouth

Monmouth Early Learning Center
309-734-9437
221 Broadway Ave, Monmouth

Spires Child Care Center
309-342-7910
527 Iowa Ct

Teddy Bear Child Development Center
309-734-2724
200 South 8th St, Monmouth

YMCA
309-344-1324
1324 W Carl Sandburg Dr
YMCA

Clothes - Children/
Maternity

Klassy Kids
309-344-8033
1134 N Henderson St

Child-Parent Development Centers

First Steps Program, The
309-734-2724
200 S 8th St, Monmouth

Pregnancy Services

Women's Pregnancy Center
309-343-4739
1252 West Fremont Street
Women's Pregnancy Center

Toys & Activities

Discovery Depot Children's Museum
309-344-8876
128 S. Chambers
Discovery Depot Children' Museum

Galesburg Public Library: Children's Room
309-343-6118
40 East Simmons St
Galesburg Public Library: Children's Room

GameStop
309-344-4009
2779 Volunteer Dr

Toys & Teachers
309-344-5547
53 S Seminary St
Toys & Teachers

 Watching Your Children Grow   

by Carin Franey 

  I was sitting in our backyard this morning listening to the birds sing and watching all the different bugs we have in our garden.  I see an evergreen colored beetle and remember when my nephews were in 4H and they collected every unusual bug in our area. I wanted to collect the beetle for their 4H project.  I can remember when my oldest daughter would pick up earth worms or small garden snakes.  It was her instant entertainment for hours. In one respect, it seemed like these days were only last week; but when reality starts to sit in I realize over fifteen years have passed and my little girls and nephews are now all grown up.  

    In fact, the thought of watching bugs in the backyard would probably make them yawn with little enthusiasm.  Now, they are busy working, going to school, having a social life, text messaging as precise and efficient as a surgeon performing a familiar procedure and using a computer with little effort.

    I guess I do miss those easy-go-lucky days, but I am sure I didn't think they were anything easy back then.  Trying to balance a career, school, raising children, keeping house and last, but never least, being a loving and caring spouse seemed very overwhelming at times.  When I think back, I can't help but wonder if I really spent all the 'quality time' I should have when my daughters were small children.  Oh, they have grown up to become very polite young ladies and I could not be prouder of them, but was I always there when they really needed me?  Should I have stayed home instead of choosing to work full-time an hour from home each day? 

   Later that day I dropped off my youngest daughter at our local pool where I see the little toddlers playing in the water.  I remember back when my daughters took swim lessons in the summer with KCAP.  We would walk down to our nearest elementary school to meet the school bus.  Then the bus would sweep my kids off to the Hawthorne Center for swimming lessons and bring them back in about an hour.  They loved swimming.  For both my girls, swimming was the one thing that would make them happy no matter what kind of mood they were in. 
 
    Now, both my girls have the privilege of teaching KCAP to those children that are dropped off at the elementary schools to catch the bus.  They are so proud they can do this for future swimmers of our community and I am so proud to see a full circle of life happening by my daughters becoming lifeguards and teaching swim lessons.  At this point I couldn't help but think maybe I did make the right choices for my children and family.