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Faith’s House Child Care Center At Saratoga Will Provide Backstretch Workers ‘Peace of Mind’

The Belmont Child Care Association, Inc. (BCCA) today offered a first look at Faith's House, the new child care center at Saratoga Race Course, which is set to begin serving families and children of the backstretch community in summer 2021.

Located on the Oklahoma side of the Saratoga backstretch, the 4,300-square-foot facility will provide child care and early education programs for infants, toddlers and preschool-aged children. The center will be open seven days a week from 5 a.m. to 5 p.m. to accommodate the schedules of backstretch workers and horsemen.

The building was funded by Michael and Lee Dubb and is named in honor of Faith Dubb, the late mother of BCCA founder and board chairman Michael Dubb.

“We are very excited to open the doors of Faith's House to the backstretch community this summer,” said Dubb, who is a prominent Thoroughbred owner in addition to his work with the BCCA. “This important program will provide the hardworking families of the Saratoga backstretch with the peace of mind that comes with knowing their children are being cared for in a fun and enriching environment with a focus on early education.”

Faith's House will feature dedicated rooms to serve infants, toddlers and preschool aged children. Upon entering the new child care center, visitors are greeted by an oversized black and white mural of a Thoroughbred racehorse.

The facility is designed to accommodate up to 35 children and includes numerous cribs for newborn infants. Two rooms within Faith's House are dedicated to serving preschool aged children with an array of educational resources, including books, dictionaries and writing and drawing materials.

A fenced-in play area is located outside the rear of the building with eco-friendly, rubber tiles and flooring to provide a safe and forgiving playground surface.

The Saratoga facility will complement BCCA's sister child care center Anna House, which serves families of the Belmont Park backstretch. More than 1,000 students have participated in Anna House's programs since its opening in 2003.

“On behalf of the New York Racing Association, I would like to thank Michael and Lee Dubb for their generosity and dedication to the backstretch community,” said NYRA President & CEO Dave O'Rourke. “We have been fortunate to witness the benefits of child care and early education through their initial vision of Anna House at Belmont Park and are indebted to Michael and Lee for funding and spearheading this companion facility at Saratoga Race Course. We are thrilled to welcome this beautiful new facility to Saratoga and extend our appreciation to the entire BCCA team and our own facilities staff for bringing this project to life.”

The summer 2021 opening coincides with the annual summer meet at Saratoga Race Course, which brings approximately 950 backstretch workers and their families to the Spa.

Faith's House will be operated by Bright Horizons, an organization known for excellence in the child care industry which manages early childhood education programs at more than 1,000 child care centers.

“On behalf of the BCCA Board of Directors, I would like to thank Mike and Lee Dubb for their incredible generosity in building Faith's House which fulfills a 10-year dream for the BCCA,” said BCCA President Libby Imperio.

Local officials shared their support and enthusiasm for the new child care center, which will open in July.

“I would like to congratulate the Belmont Child Care Association, along with Michael and Lee Dubb, on the opening of Faith's House,” said Assemblywoman Carrie Woerner (113th AD). “The backstretch workers who are integral to the sport of racing have long needed the child care services and support that will be provided by Faith's House so that their families can join them in Saratoga for the summer meet.”

“The past year has informed us more than ever of the importance of quality child care for working families in our community,” said City of Saratoga Springs Mayor Meg Kelly. “This new center will undoubtedly be an outstanding addition to Saratoga Race Course and to our city. We are thrilled to welcome Faith's House to Saratoga Springs and thank Michael and Lee, the BCCA and NYRA for making this project possible.”

For more information about Faith's House, including details on registration and enrollment, contact BCCA Executive Director Joanne K. Adams by phone at (516) 488-2103 or via email at jadams@belmontchildcare.org.

The Belmont Child Care Association works to provide a safe, supportive, and academically inspiring environment for the children of parents working in the thoroughbred racing backstretch area located at New York's historic Belmont Park, Aqueduct Racetrack and Saratoga Race Course. For more information, visit BelmontChildCare.org.

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Woodbine to Host Pop-Up COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic

Woodbine Entertainment will host a pop-up COVID-19 Vaccine clinic at Woodbine Racetrack, which is located in a 'hot spot', beginning Wednesday at 10 a.m. for the Rexdale Community.

The vaccine clinic, which is supported by the North Etobicoke Community Cluster Partners, will operate for a minimum of three days and is open to individuals 18 years and older in 2021 and living in 'hot spot' communities in M9V and M9W.

“We are very proud and grateful to be able to host this much needed pop-up clinic at Woodbine Racetrack for the Rexdale community,” said Jim Lawson, CEO, Woodbine Entertainment. “We look forward to working with our community partners over the coming days to deliver a positive experience that will benefit people throughout Rexdale.”

The pop-up COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic will also be open to frontline essential workers who provide daily care to the horses stabled at Woodbine Racetrack.

“These workers are critical to the wellbeing of more than 1,000 horses and obviously cannot work from home. Many of them live in dormitories on our property and in the surrounding areas,” said Lawson.

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Kirkpatrick & Co Presents In Their Care: Paye Looking Forward To Passing Her Love Of Horses To The Next Generation

In younger days, Courtney Paye felt obligated only to her horses while she ventured from coast to coast as a groom. She sampled life in Arkansas, California, Florida, Louisiana, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas and West Virginia while being employed by such prominent trainers as Richard Baltas, Christophe Clement, Dallas Keen, Peter Miller and, currently, Tom Amoss.

The native of Orange County, Calif., was living her own version of Disneyland, the carefree amusement park that lit the night sky around the corner from her childhood home.

“If somebody would have told me when I was a little girl that one day you're going to be able to make a living working with horses and you're going to travel and see things, I wouldn't have believed it,” said Paye. “It would have been the best possible thing that could have happened.”

Her life took an even better turn several years ago when she met Jose, a fellow groom who came to the United States from Peru with the determination to build a better life. They quickly fell in love and will celebrate their second wedding anniversary in June.

Then came a most unexpected turn, bringing an equal measure of anxiety and excitement. At age 40, Paye will soon have more than horses, a husband, three cats, two dogs and a ferret to care for. She is eight months pregnant with a daughter who will be named Kinsley.

“I never dreamed of being a mother. I dedicated my life to these horses. That's been my life,” Paye said. “But I believe the universe unfolds the way it is supposed to and here I am at 40, eight months pregnant with our daughter, and we're very excited.”

Despite severe morning sickness that made early stages of her pregnancy extraordinarily difficult, she worked throughout the winter months at Oaklawn Park. She recently helped establish Amoss' barn at Indiana Grand, which is overseen by assistant trainer Katy Allen.

“I think Courtney doesn't think that she needs much help at all and we've been kind of careful because we don't want to treat her like something is wrong with her,” Allen said. “But all of the guys constantly jump in to help her. Nobody wants her going up in the hay loft. Nobody wants her bedding down stalls or picking up hay bales or feed bags or anything like that.

“It's really been kind of a team effort in the barn. Everyone has been on the same page and it wasn't like I said anything to the other grooms. It was just something they did.”

Paye gives Serengeti Empress a kiss after her win in the Grade 1 Ballerina

With the blessing of her obstetrician, Paye intends to report to the barn every morning, stopping to greet each of the horses assigned to her before she begins her chores, until her body signals that she must stop. She typically thrives on her daily routine.

“Those quiet mornings I have with them before the sun comes up, before the training starts, that's my favorite time of day,” Paye said. “I love taking care of them. I love trying to keep them happy.”

Serengeti Empress is foremost among the horses she has tended to. The filly became so attached to her last summer at Saratoga Race Course that she would gently bite Paye's toes as she prepared to leave the stall. It was as if to say, “'Please stay and fuss over me a little longer.'”

Paye fusses over every horse.

“She is not just a person who works with horses. She is a horse person,” said Jose, 34. “She doesn't care if the horse is going to run in a $5,000 claiming race or a stake. She takes care of every horse.”

Paye's dedication deep into her pregnancy also stems from the reality that she and Jose have modest means with which to satisfy major expenses they will soon encounter. There is no such thing as maternity leave for backstretch workers. They consider themselves fortunate to enjoy a rare day off.

“My husband and I have a bit of money set aside. But it is a big stress, to be honest,” Paye said. “I know we can make it work. I don't really have a full plan, but we're just going to do it. He's going to keep working as hard as he can and I'll get back to work as soon as I can.”

Although Jose toils primarily as a groom, he is licensed as an assistant trainer and looks forward to advancing his career. He noted that there are ample opportunities to gain extra income on the backside.

“I worry,” he said, “but I'm going to start doing extra things so we can afford everything.”

While Kinsley is an infant, they are considering giving up an apartment they rent near Indiana Grand to live in a recreational vehicle that has many payments remaining.

Paye and Serengeti Empress prepare to leave Saratoga

Amoss is well known for his dedication to hard-working employees facing challenging circumstances.

“Tom is really willing to work with people like that,” Allen said. “He doesn't leave anybody stranded.”

Allen said it is possible that Paye might assist with laundry or paperwork as a way to generate income before she can return to the barn.

“Her job is cemented with us,” she said.

Paye already knows that Kinsley's earliest memories will be of the racetrack.

“She's going to grow up different from other kids,” the mother-to-be said. “She's going to travel. She'll definitely ride a horse before she can walk.

“I hope that she wants to work with horses. I would love for her to work at the racetrack. If she doesn't, that's okay, too. I just want her to have a passion in life.”

Whatever the future holds for Kinsley, she will be blessed with loving, devoted parents. She will be in the best of hands.

Tom Pedulla wrote for USA Today from 1995-2012 and has been a contributor to the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Blood-Horse, America's Best Racing and other publications.

If you wish to suggest a backstretch worker as a potential subject for In Their Care, please send an email to info@paulickreport.com that includes the person's name and contact information in addition to a brief description of the employee's background.

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Additional H-2B Visas Soon to be Available During Second Half of Federal Fiscal Year

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the U.S. Department of Labor have agreed to offer 22,000 additional H-2B visas to employers for the second half of the federal fiscal year that ends Sept. 30. These visas are used by employers, such as racehorse trainers, who seek seasonal guest workers. They are capped at 66,000 annually, with an even split of 33,000 available for each half of the federal government's fiscal year. The additional visas will be made available later this spring or early summer via a temporary final rule in the Federal Register.

“We are pleased to learn that additional H-2B visas will be available for trainers soon and applaud Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and Labor Secretary Marty Walsh for this action,” said NTRA President and CEO Alex Waldrop. “At the same time, the NTRA supports relief from the burdensome annual H-2B visa cap through a permanent returning worker exemption and urges both departments to reform the program accordingly, enabling affected employers to stabilize their businesses.”

This past December, the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 became law and included a provision that provides the DHS with the discretionary authority to release an additional 64,176 H-2B visas when significant need is demonstrated. The NTRA, through its involvement with the H-2B Workforce Coalition, supports all efforts to make additional visas available to seasonal businesses struggling with labor issues.

The H-2B visa guest worker program is a nonimmigrant visa program used by many industries that need temporary non-agricultural help when domestic workers are unavailable. For the horse racing industry, trainers rely heavily on the H-2B program to fill various backside positions.

Demand for H-2B visas often exceeds their availability and the cap level is quickly reached, leaving employers in need. For the second half of federal fiscal year 2021, DHS announced that by Feb. 12 it had received enough H-2B worker petitions to reach the congressionally mandated cap of 33,000 visas allotted.

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