It has been open since 1992, but come Nov. 30 it will shut down.

The C. S. P. / Child Care Management Center in Demopolis will shut down Nov. 30, said center program director Terry Dillard.

Dillard said that the services provided at the center will be transferred over to child care centers in Montgomery and Tuscaloosa.

The reason the center will be shutting down &045; the economy.

Dillard said that the center receives federal funding, and that there is a need to use the federal funding more efficiently.

Dillard said that the Amendment 1 Tax and Education Plan not passing was not a major factor in causing the center to shut down.

The center has been subsidizing low-income families with children for the past 11 years, providing them with funding to take care of their basic necessities.

Dillard said that the center was situated in Demopolis because it is at the center of eight surrounding counties, including Greene, Marengo, Hale, Sumpter, Perry, Choctaw, Dallas, and Wilcox

Dillard said the funds from the center either go to family homes with six or less kids or to group homes with six to 12 children. Dillard said the center pays the homes $60 per week per child.

Dillard said the center currently provides funding to 1254 children in the eight surrounding counties, and that the center does four things.

The center must meet minimum standards, providing care for abused and neglected children. The center must determine eligibility for subsidized childcare. Every six months, the center must determine re-eligibility for clients of the center. And the center must make payments to childcare subsidizers.

Dillard said that working at the center was a very fun experience, and that the center has helped a lot of families over the years.

The center formerly employed 12 people but then that number was cut down to nine.

Dillard said that to work at a childcare management center one usually requires a college degree and little bit of background experience in social work and child development.

Dillard said that services in Demopolis would be moved to the urban centers and that the same services would be provided cutting down on federal expenses.