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Date: 12/12/2022
NORTHAMPTON – After long deliberation, the Northampton School Committee voted to delay their decision involving any changes to their childcare program throughout the school district.
The discussion during their Dec. 8 meeting revolved around whether Northampton Public Schools (NPS) elects to create a district-run childcare program or invite the Hampshire Regional YMCA to expand their childcare program to Leeds.
The delayed vote now means that the committee will not revisit the discussion for at least another year.
Background
The School Committee conducted a similar discussion back in January, when then Superintendent John Provost gave a presentation about the different possibilities for a childcare program.
In August 2021, the School Committee asked Superintendent John Provost to secure licensure for Leeds Elementary and create an ad hoc subcommittee to develop and distribute a childcare survey. The overarching goal was to determine the feasibility of extending the Leeds childcare program to a districtwide program for the four elementary schools for this year. Seven people served on this committee, including at-large member Gwen Agna and Ward 7 member Kaia Goleman.
Of the 340 respondents of the distributed survey, many said they either use the YMCA or Leeds as their primary childcare service providers.
The survey found that most people who do not utilize childcare would be potentially interested in an expansion, and the biggest barrier to obtaining this service was cost. The majority of respondents were also either interested or supportive of paying a higher rate for childcare services if they were able to obtain more flexibility with childcare. Most said they needed childcare when school is not in session.
Additionally, the data showed that there was very positive feedback between the Leeds program and the YMCA program.
At the time, Provost recommended that an expansion was not advisable due to high administrative costs and the negative impact it could have on the district’s education mission.
“Taking on the expansion of the program to the other three schools would add a burden that, to me personally, would feel unsustainable,” said Provost, at the time.
The ultimate recommendation from Provost would be to work with community partners, including the YMCA, in finding more childcare opportunities for preschool children, and expand the YMCA to the Leeds program. From the survey, Provost found that the hourly rate for the YMCA service is less than Leeds’.
According to the survey results from 2021, 24 percent use the YMCA childcare services while 19 percent use the Leeds Late Bird program.
School Committee meeting
Most who spoke during the public comment session were supportive of maintaining the childcare program they have now, with some saying a change to a district-wide program would cause disruption.
“I hope [all students] have access to the YMCA, but I also hope it doesn’t come at the cost of dislocating children from their routines that they established at the Leeds after school program,” said one commenter. “I just really hope that you consider finding an option that allows people to have an option with the Y, but also keeps the Leeds after school program intact because we really do depend on it.”
Kim Allore, the senior program director at the Hampshire Regional YMCA, said that the YMCA has been providing 30 years of childcare services in Northampton Public Schools and currently has 177 registered children from the district in their programs. Of those 177, around 15 percent are part of a childcare subsidiary or financial aid that is offered by the YMCA. The YMCA is offered at three of the four elementary schools.
During the Dec. 8 meeting, the School Committee decided to postpone the vote for at least another year, when the district will have a permanent superintendent. “I agree that families should have options, and I think we should seriously consider the viability of adding school-based programs to those that want them, or a district-wide program,” said Ward 5 member Dina Levi. “I think we need to be in a place financially and from a leadership perspective to discuss the realities of a district-wide program.”
As a member who represents numerous Leeds families in the city, Levi said a number of emails sent from families expressed a glowing allegiance to the Leeds afterschool programming. And while many are happy with the YMCA program as well, Levi stated that some families have expressed issues with the Y’s lack of flexibility, lack of transparency with scheduling, and overall high costs.
“I think there are things both programs could learn from the other,” continued Levi. “I would love to see Leeds figuring out how to do what the Y does in terms of serving students when our schools have half days…and I would also love to see the Y have the transparency and flexibility in scheduling that is available at Leeds.”
Interim Superintendent Jannell Pearson-Campbell expressed her support in keeping the programs the way they are now until after the upcoming budget season is completed.
Ward 7 member Kaia Goleman pondered whether this decision should even be made by the School Committee since the Leeds program was originally started as a community initiative. The reason why the School Committee became involved with the Leeds program was because there were non-compliance issues that needed to be fixed.
According to Goleman, every time the School Committee talks about transitioning to a new style, families typically seem happy with the way it is.
“I think it only makes sense to transition Leeds to be a Y program as well,” said Goleman. “[But} I wonder if this really belongs on the superintendent’s desk…I don’t think it makes sense for us to make this decision tonight…I think this is a program that will be fine for another year.”
Seven members voted yes to postpone, while two abstained.