Rent hikes will force day cares to close, YMCA warns trustees: Parents plead with board not to raise facility rates
Richmond News
May 5, 2006
By: Eve Edmonds
EXCERPT

Parents and day-care providers made a last-ditch attempt Monday to get trustees to drop pending rent hikes on day cares operating in public schools.

"No one is asking the Richmond school district for a subsidy," said Mike Ball. "We will pay the costs attributed to the day care"

But to pay for "the district to make a profit -- that's just not on," said the angry parent.

Another woman, who identified herself as a low-income, single mother, predicted there would be "children wandering in the streets because parents can't afford day care."

Bill Stewart, president and CEO of the Lower Mainland's YMCA, also pleaded with trustees, saying the costs now being imposed are so onerous they will mean not just charging parents more, but closing down some of the YMCA's operations in Richmond.

"We expected a rent increase -- that's reasonable," said Susan Lo, also with the YMCA.

But a rent increase combined with having to pay for custodial services and facilities that until now had not been charged for, "we didn't expect that."..

Tracey Carmichael presented trustees with a petition, asking the board to reconsider its decision, which it announced earlier this year.

But while parents and day-care operators forewarn of day-care closures, district secretary-treasurer Ken Morris said the new financial arrangement actually opens up new opportunities for some day-care providers.

Previously, the board's schedule of charges had rental rates that differentiated betwee different types of day cares such as Montessori preschools, all-day day cares or before- or after-school care.

"There is the very real possibility that the number of day-care spaces in the public schools of Richmond will increase this coming school year due to the recent awareness of this opportunity," Morris said following the meeting…

Last fall, school district staff grew concerned with possible liability issues that might arise from day-care staff (as opposed to school staff) opening the schools.

It led to the suggestion that day cares should pay for the custodial staff required when the school would not otherwise open.

This further led to a review of the district's financial relationship with day cares in its schools.

On top of the issue of custodians, the district revisited the practice of allowing day cares to use kitchens, libraries and gyms, free of charge, when those rooms were not otherwise being used.

Trustees agreed that day cares should not only pay more rent ($6/hour/room), but also pay for the use of every room or facility it uses.

"Day cares only use these facilities when they are not in use by the school or other renters," Carmichael told trustees. "I can see no hardship accruing to the district by continuing to permit this use. The district does not charge other students to use these facilities before or after school.

"In most schools, these facilities are already heavily subsidized by parents through the PAC donations of books, computers, appliances and sporting equipment. At Byng, parents bought half the computers in the computer room. They invest more money each year in library books than the district does. Parents at Steves school paid half the money for the stove. Parents should not have to pay again to use the resources they generously donated to their school."

Trustee Donna Sargent said it was an "extremely difficult decision" to raise rents, but ultimately as a trustee her mandate is K-12.

"That's what I was elected to do," she explained.

Trustee Sandra Bourque suggested parents lobby the provincial or federal governments, the political bodies responsible for child care.

Morris said there are other organizations ready to fill the vacancies if groups such as the YMCA choose to close.

In fact, all operators except two (South Arm Community Association, which runs a day care in DeBeck, and West Richmond Community Association, which runs a day care in Gilmour) have renewed their contracts for 2006/07.

"We presently have six other day-care operators who want to introduce day care into the schools," Morris wrote in an e-mail following the meeting.

Morris also takes issue with the idea that the district makes a "profit" from renting to day cares.

The revenue generated is given back to the schools to encourage them to house day cares, he says.

The total is approximately $300 to $400 per school per month.