Parents fight to save child care program in Bloomfield Hills School District
The fight continues for parents in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, after a child care program was abruptly cut in the school district.
On Monday, parents addressed the podium during public comment at the Bloomfield Hills Board of Education meeting.
"This is not just about budget; it's about safeguarding the trust and confidence of a family's place in this district," said a concerned parent.
"The closure of a daycare creates immediate challenges for families, especially when it comes to finding reliable care on short notice," another parent said.
In February, the school board decided to cut the Infant and Toddler child care program at Bloomin' Preschool at the end of June, citing a budget deficit.
Board President Tareq Falah spoke on the issue on Monday.
"We know that early childhood education is important at every level. It wasn't an easy decision for us. We are still trying to work with families. We are still trying to work with staff. Your voices do matter to us," Falah said.
Now, a month later, parents, including Anirudh Papineni, are pushing the board to reconsider.
"We're so fast to cut this program that's a huge beloved part of this community. So, I just think we need to take a step back, create more solutions. I would say about 99 percent of the people that are being impacted by this would pay more," said Papineni.
Papineni's daughter attends Bloomin' East. The abrupt decision left his family scrambling.
"Having to start back at square one, having to re-find child care. It's already a waitlist to go anywhere to begin with, but now all the child care centers around the area even more on the waitlist because now there's a big influx," Papineni said.
Bloomin' West parent Jillian Oneill is also trying to lock down new child care.
"I have started to look into alternative daycare programs within the community. One that is closest to where I live and work, and not too far from Bloomin' west, the initial quote that I got was over double the cost," said Oneill.
Oneill tells CBS News Detroit that families have rallied together to create solutions for the district to save this program.
"We've come up with a lot of strategies that are really practical and that will increase revenue to maintain this program. They can actually turn this program from a net loss into a positive revenue-generating program," said Oneill. "Our goal right now is to have the board add this topic of conversation back onto the agenda for next month so we can really convey our points. I really hope the district reconsiders this decision to show that they do prioritize and value early childhood education."
As of now, the district says the decision stands.
On Monday, Superintendent Rick West said accommodations have been made for twelve students approaching the 30-month-old age cutoff for preschool. The program will be extended to them through December.
