Bodie promises to address ‘crisis’
UPDATED: The School Committee heard eight parents comment about their frustration in finding after-school care for their children. The superintendent said the issue “has reached a crisis point,” with so many new residents in Arlington, and she vowed to address it.
During public participation of the April 12 meeting, eight parents shared their experiences in trying to secure a place in Arlington after-school programs. Five of the eight parents have yet to find full-time after-school care for their children despite applying to multiple programs on the first possible day to do so, in January. One of the parents finally was offered a slot for three days, but because he and his wife work five days, they still do not have a full solution.
All spoke of moving to Arlington because of the good reputation of the school system while at the same time they were unaware of the dearth of after-school care places.
Commenter cites research
The first speaker, Alham Saadat, has a 5-year-old without after-school care for next year. She cited the results from her research:
— Wait lists exist for all schools for after-school care programs except the Bishop. The length of the wait lists fluctuates from time to time, but all remain very long.
— Application dates occur at different times and are not coordinated. This creates a special problem for those in the buffer zone who hear about their child’s school assignment later. (A buffer zone is an area on the border of a school’s district, established under redistricting in 2012, allowing the administration flexibility about which school a student attends.)
— Fees are not standardized, so costs vary widely among programs.
— In comparison with other surrounding towns, Arlington ranks low in providing after-school services. Lexington, for example, has standardized care, reasonable pricing, no waiting lists most of the time and then they are very short. She concluded, “We can do better for working families.”
The second speaker, Mustafa Cokol, who just bought a house in Arlington, has his 5-year-old daughter wait-listed for three separate programs. To make matters worse, he reported, “They do not tell you your position on the wait list.” He told the committee: “We do not know what to do; I quit my job, my wife quits her job? Then our income will go down.”
Partial success
Next, Ray LaFontaine said he was one of the lucky ones because he was able to get his children in the Hardy program for three days a week. Now he just has to find some solution for the two other days weekly.
Jessica Evan Brady, a working mother, has been trying to find after-school day care since January, when she placed her incoming kindergartner on all the lists. Just the applications fees, she told the committee, cost her from $200 to $300. The family lives in a buffer zone, so Brady does not yet know what school her daughter will be in the fall, making after-school arrangements harder.
Guruharsi Kuthethur told the committee that he has a 5-year-old on three waiting lists “with no guarantee we will get in anywhere.” He and his wife are struggling to make arrangements to work at home some days. He told the committee we “wanted to get into Arlington because of the reputation of the schools,” but “for dual-earner families, it is really a challenge.”
Ashutosh Uupta bought a house in Arlington a year ago and describes the search for after-school care for his son “a nightmare.” Finally, after one year on waiting lists, his son has after-school care for three days and Uupta is struggling to cover the remaining two days.
Others parents who have finally found some after-school care spoke in support of many those who have not. One cited what they all confront: 1.) a complete lack of information, 2.) too little empathy and clarity and 3.) no creativity in trying to forge a solution, even just a temporary one. Another bemoaned, “Parents are pitted against one another.” Many complained that the experience has been very stressful — even when they were successful.
Bodie promises change
Following the parents’ comments, Bodie said she had become aware of the problem at a recent Vision 2020 meeting. In response, she is seeking more spaces in the school-run programs at Thompson and Hardy. At the school-run Spanish Immersion Program at the Brackett, she said it might be possible for a few more spaces.
Bodie has met with A Place to Grow at the Stratton, and the program plans to increase by 26 places by next year. Private vendors, Bodie explained, need to go through a process of licensing if they increase their places, but she “will have conversations with other programs for next year.”
Bodie concluded that the problem “has reached a crisis point,” with so many people coming to Arlington. She promised, “We will do the best we can to open up more places.”
In other business, Principal Kristen DeFrancisco gave an update about the Gibbs School and Social Studies Director Dennie Conklin gave an update on the development of research skills in the Arlington public schools.
Assistant Superintendent Rod MacNeal Jr. discussed the controversial topic of Colonial Days and his decision about costumes. Superintendent Bodie reviewed the proposed designs for the new high school.
Before the regular meeting, the School Committee unanimously elected Kirsi Allison-Ampe as chair, Len Kardon as vice chair and Jennifer Susse, secretary.
April 17, 2018: Change in Colonial Days policy draws committee support, public objections
This news summary by Arlington freelancer Jo Anne Preston was published Saturday, April 21, 2018, and updated to correct the name of the elected secretary.
