ANN ARBOR, MI – Ann Arbor Public Schools, through its Rec & Ed department, will offer pre- and post-school programs to some students in five locations, with the aim of expanding to other locations as staffed.
In a message that large groups of children gather in a room on Tuesday the 22nd due to COVID-19.
The district noted that it is currently limiting the program for students ages five through fifth grade to 36 students at Abbot, Carpenter, Lakewood, Mitchell, and Pittsfield elementary schools, with the option of places with updated COVID-19 Instructions and additional staffing to increase.
By comparison, the program previously offered by Community Day Care was licensed to 120 children in Burns Park and 80 in Lawton Elementary Schools, with an adult-to-child ratio of 1:10 for the pre- and post-school childcare programs.
“Our goal is to expand in these locations and offer programs in other locations, but this depends on the staffing,” said AAPS spokesman Andrew Cluley on Wednesday.
The message to the abbot families indicated that AAPS staff would be given first priority for places in the program, which begins September 7th. If demand is higher than the available spots, a random selection lottery will be held the week of July 12th, the message said.
“To ensure that we can staff our buildings to fulfill our core mission of teaching and learning, we give top priority to teachers, para-professionals and other employees,” said Cluley.
The program will focus on the well-being, enrichment and fun of the children, Abbot Elementary School principal Pam Sica said in the message to families following COVID-19 guidelines, including the latest guidelines that Available this fall, on safer group size, masking and distancing.
The program schedule provides for standard pre-school and after-school care Monday through Friday, with a morning session from 7:15 a.m. to 8:45 a.m., and an afternoon session starting after school closes at 3:48 a.m. until 6 p.m. that no part-time program is offered.
There is a program fee of $ 150 per week with scholarships available that reduce fees based on family income, with discounts of 25%, 50%, and 75% of the standard fees for pre- and post-care sessions. There is a $ 30 registration fee.
When AAPS last offered pre- and post-care care in 2019-20, it charged families $ 9 per day per child for pre-school care and $ 11 per day for afternoon care, which is a weekly fee of 100 US dollars for the entire school period. Time participant.
Noted in the message, parents will be contacted by email on July 15 to notify them if their student is offered a place in the program or is on a waiting list.
If a place is offered, parents must respond by July 22nd whether or not to accept the place by paying the registration fee of $ 30 and a deposit of $ 150 for each student enrolled. The deposit will be offset against your September invoice. If either parent does not respond by 5:00 p.m. on July 22, the student will be removed from the list and another student will be offered that spot on July 23.
Families wishing to register for the program have until July 9th at 4 p.m. to fill out a form expressing their interest.
Since AAPS announced that school-age childcare would be discontinued for the coming year, parents have expressed disappointment that the decision would cause financial and professional disruption for the families.
Following the decision to discontinue the program for 2021-22, with the intention of using the coming year to refine the program with a greater focus on its equity and rec and ed missions, some AAPS board members stated that the district should seek immediate solutions for families.
In late May, Superintendent Jeanice Swift said the district had very little interest from its current childcare staff when it went to organize a smaller program in the fall, with only 10% responding that they were interested. Swift said the survey was informal but did not say whether or not it was sent to all employees.
CONTINUE READING:
As demand grows, Washtenaw County’s childcare facilities are seeking more staff
Ann Arbor Public Schools is upholding its decision to end school-age childcare
Board members, parents seek solutions to the childcare issue at Ann Arbor schools
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