Superintendent Scott Inskeep said staff shortages with Kettering’s in-house childcare program prompted the district to consider contracting with a business or the YMCA.
But the move, which was initially set to occur in January, “is temporarily on hold,” Inskeep said on the district’s website.
Kettering’s longtime program has about 24 to 26 employees when fully staffed, but had 14 earlier this month, Inskeep told the Dayton Daily News.
The before- and after-school childcare program at elementary and middle schools draws anywhere from 250 to 500 students, he said.
“We would love to get more people who want to be a part of it,” he said. “But our recruiting efforts have not produced the staffing that we need. When we do find staff, they just haven’t stayed very long.”
The part-time positions pay from $14 to $18 an hour, and the program is not subsidized by the district, Inskeep said.
Parents are charged $7 an hour for one child and $4 an hour each additional child, district records show.
“In particular, we are looking at options for a program that aligns more closely with what our families are currently paying for before- and after-school childcare,” Inskeep said on the district’s website.
The district has been in talks with the YMCA and Right at School, a Chicago-based business that contracts with Beavercreek City Schools, Inskeep said.
But a petition states Right at School’s program “does not offer the flexibility that parents need, with incredibly unfair pricing.”
District families “are very supportive of the schools, as evidenced by the passage/renewal of multiple levies over the years. Our property taxes continue to increase. Those who utilize before/after care have always been so appreciative of the flexible billing,” according to the petition.
“In our current economy, with many still recovering from the financial impact of COVID-19, this massive change in pricing will be crippling to the families that are served by it,” according to the petition.
Four years ago the district also considered contracting with the YMCA, according to Dayton Daily News records. But a decision was made to keep the program in-house after parents voiced opposition.
At that time, the rate of $5 per hour per child was increased to $7 per hour in a move aimed at covering the cost to hire additional staff.
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