District Releases List of Proposed Childcare Closures
Here's the list. There are only seven on the list (so far.)
From the district:
We are collaborating with schools, providers, partners and families as we work through the complexities associated with the capacity management challenges we face as a community and their potential effect on child care, preschool providers and families.
Effected Schools
As of February 3, 2016, the following provider sites have been notified that they need to make alternative plans for the upcoming school year. The dedicated space they have been using is needed for a K-5 classroom in 2016-17.
We anticipate that all providers notified will need to move from their dedicated space by July 1, 2016.
Our intent is to preserve onsite child care whenever possible. We are hopeful that we may be able to find multi-use space (e.g. gyms and cafeterias) within our buildings that is licensable and will work for our child care providers.
Preschool requires dedicated space during the school day so our solutions are very limited, but we will work closely with the city's Department of Education and Early Learning (DEEL) to support providers as they transition services into any potential community sites.
In the days ahead, we recommend families communicate directly with their providers to receive the most up to date information about the status of their program for the 2016-17 school year.
From the district:
We are collaborating with schools, providers, partners and families as we work through the complexities associated with the capacity management challenges we face as a community and their potential effect on child care, preschool providers and families.
Effected Schools
As of February 3, 2016, the following provider sites have been notified that they need to make alternative plans for the upcoming school year. The dedicated space they have been using is needed for a K-5 classroom in 2016-17.
We anticipate that all providers notified will need to move from their dedicated space by July 1, 2016.
- Adams Elementary (will affect before and after school child care)
- Daniel Bagley Elementary (will affect before and after school child care)
- Bryant Elementary (will affect before and after school child care)
- Coe Elementary (will affect preschool)
- Hawthorne Elementary (two classrooms; will affect both preschool and before and after school child care)
- Madrona K-8 (will affect before and after school child care)
- Maple Elementary (will affect both preschool and before and after school child care)
Next Steps
Over the next few weeks the district will be working with the school site, principal, and providers to review any possible space in the school that will work for before and after school care.Our intent is to preserve onsite child care whenever possible. We are hopeful that we may be able to find multi-use space (e.g. gyms and cafeterias) within our buildings that is licensable and will work for our child care providers.
Preschool requires dedicated space during the school day so our solutions are very limited, but we will work closely with the city's Department of Education and Early Learning (DEEL) to support providers as they transition services into any potential community sites.
In the days ahead, we recommend families communicate directly with their providers to receive the most up to date information about the status of their program for the 2016-17 school year.
Comments
DistrictWatcher
Ridiculous
--JvA
PW
NE Parent
Watching the trainwreck
Dr. Herndon said nothing was going to be displaced for pre-K.
Yes, Madrona was ripe for the picking.
Curious
Also a slap to the head: Madrona? Really? Anyone who has watched SPS for more than a year or two knows Madrona has been under-enrolled. Which means anyone with the ability to strategically get ahead of PR issues downtown should have said Hmmmm, best to announce a change of programming by tackling it head on vs. grabbing the daycare space and getting the community riled up with rumors.
Finally, would not any press release about capacity include - as NE Parent notes - an "also" as in..."Also, you will note that these childcare classroom cuts do not cover our expected enrollment needs in a number of schools. We will also be using x,y,z (portables, etc.) as necessary to cover our smaller class sizes and increasing SPS population. Information on other affected schools, and these next steps, will be available on (insert date).
The district continuously causes issues for itself by rolling out big plans in piecemeal fashion, when the community craves the big picture from the get-go. Perchance the community could even help fill in the details of the big picture through collaborative problem solving. (Yes, I dream impossible dreams.)
EdVoter
-LL
-LL
-LL
Ridiculous
Watching a train wreck
You need to realize what the rest of us did long ago: Convenient, enriching, safe, dependable, easily accessed child care is not something the school district is obligated to provide to you.
I would rather see my child in a less-crowded classroom for the six hours he's there.
-LL
--JvA
Reader
They clearly show the enrollment of the elementary to be 197 and the middle school to be 91 students. That's a total of 288 students in a building with a capacity for over 600.
So why in the world would it be necessary to push out the before- and after-school care in this building to make room for more classrooms?
Yes, but they are not following the same City program as the other three City preKs in SPS. I know that however the City is spinning this that there are currently only three SPS schools that have City pre-K (as created from the levy.)
Charlie, I perceive that the district has finally woken up to the fact that the space at Madrona is being wasted. Others postulate that the Central Area is growing and they need the K-5 space (and, of course, will likely give over space to the City's pre-K.)
I'm glad they want to use the space but sad that, once again, we see a building built specifically for one size (K-8) not being used that way and middle school space is wasted. I recall at one of Director Patu's meetings a long time ago that teachers from the former Van Asselt building were complaining that the former AAA building that they were now in was too large for small children especially the stairs.
Ridiculous
Melissa, I have huge doubts that there'll be any more City PreKs in SPS buildings any time soon. Plus, I wonder if REA is busily NOT assessing the efficacy of City PreKs.
It's not relevant to the discussion - but to clear up your confusion, I have not applied for a space in the child care program at our school. I am trying to draw your attention to the experiences of other families - not my own.
Ridiculous
Ridiculous
Yes, I think the district is serious about moving out before/after care in some locations. The discussion around Madrona K-8 was interesting. The statement was made by Flip that the reason the middle school enrollment is low is that the building has an odd layout for the middle school portion (Nyland said this as well.). I'd agree that it's not great but I don't think that's why the enrollment is low. They say elementary part is full (mostly, kind of vague on this point.).
-sleeper
Interesting, it was only 2 short years ago Dev PreKs were kicked out of West Seattle and farmed out to the Old Van Asselt support facility.
I will be asking for support from legislators to get OSPI off its kiester and look at the inequities of this separate and unequal system.
May 2015 Student Count 299
Even if they increased enrollment by say fifty kids this year (unlikely) the school is still only barely half full. There should be 180 kids in the middle school (two classes of 30 each per grade) and 300 in K-5 (and that is being generous, works out to 25 kids per class, 2 classes per grade band).
The elementary part of Madrona K-8 is not full. And the middle school is nearly empty because it is not a school of choice for the area for a host of reasons, none of which are the layout of the building.
PW
-sleeper
K-64
1-43
2-34
3-29
4-31
5-13
6-29
7-26
8-27
Surely 13 5th graders is an error.
So, I checked the Jan 2016 report. Showing about the same enrollment, lost about 10 students, still only 13 5th graders.
With these numbers looks like they have seats for several pre-schools!
Here's my source:
http://www.seattleschools.org/cms/one.aspx?pageId=15178
What's up with Madrona?
K - 64
1 - 41
2 - 35
3 - 30
4 - 28
5 - 13 (!!!)
6 - 29
7 - 23
8 - 24
Total - 287 - which is actually lower that May 2015 OSPI count of 299
The kindergarten may be full, but there is a clear downward trend as the years go by. Families leave this school. 13 kids in 5th grade is a travesty and one class per grade in middle school is not sustainable.
They are lying. The elementary portion of Madrona K-8 is not full. Can you get fired for lying?
PW
Arbor Heights – green (school leadership engaged in early learning work)
Thornton Creek – green (school leadership engaged in early learning work)
Boren K-7 – green (should have available capacity due to Arbor Heights moving to new
location)
Roxhill – yellow (may not have capacity)
Schmitz Park - yellow (may have capacity challenges)
South Shore – yellow (tuition, 4 day per week schedule, preschool enrollment matriculation)
The 1/22 Friday Memo includes more info except, oddly enough, the # of SpEd PreKers served in City PreK requested by Director Leslie Harris. Apparently they're starting include the concept of equity in their "vision" (or at least conversion), but SPS does not have the luxury of continuing this discriminatory system - that effectively hands low-income Headstart, ECEAP and disabled children inferior options.
PW
Also, the fact that Madrona is considered an extremely poor school is the elephant in the room, right? Maybe I'm not remembering correctly, but I seem to recall that when our kid was in kindergarten, it was one of the places people did their damnedest to avoid. I'm not saying it's right, I'm just pointing out my impression (which is not based on experience).
North End Parent
It is a great location and neighborhood that could enable this to be a true environmental program - the lake is nearby for great easy and cheap field trips..
Wow the wasted space of that school is surreal.
- What do I know
Unlivable City
Those are my exact thoughts; STEM? 6-8 IB? Montasorri?
SOMETHING to attract families to the school.
And leave the childcare and preschool ALONE for cripes sake.
Betting that the district is regretting putting Madrona on the childcare closure list as it daylighted this horrible under-enrollment.
Madrona K8 59.9% FRL 179/299
Leschi K5 54.4% FRL 198/364
Bailey G K5 85.3% FRL 314/368
Washington 45.7% FRL 519/1135
Garfield 35.7% FRL 565/1600
Madrona as a K8 is smaller than its neighboring K5s. Garfield's FRL percentage is lower due to the influx of kids in the assignment area from McGilvra, Stevens and Montlake and the APP kids from the northend.
While Madrona K8 is not necessarily "poorer" than its neighbor schools, the neighborhood it sits in is very low FRL, and those families, for many many years, have made other choices than to attend Madrona K8. Many go private, APP, TOPS, McGilvra, Stevens, Montlake. It has been like that for decades.
Not new
I say let's not make Madrona into yet another "boutique" school that creates new entitled classes (LI, STEM, Montesorri etc). Just make it a great school. If the neighbors want to spend on private, knock themselves out.
BS
The CDSA Hawthorne after-school program is already in the cafeteria. The Y also has an afterschool program that uses the gym, the stage, and classrooms.
possibilities
We should make it a great school - by bringing in programming that will attract families. What's the alternative - redraw boundaries to try (again) to force families into the building?
But no we cannot have nice things for everyone it is one vs them. Thankfully there are those who would love to see a great building used to its fullest capacity and do so that serves anyone willing to get there as they do with Tops or Salmon Bay..
I will go away and take my evil ideas with me.. I am a bad bad person for suggesting such a thing.. thank you for helping me realize that BS
- What do I know?
So what is your recommendation for Madrona to make it an attractive alternative to families?
A school w/ 13 kids in a grade is not sustainable and if the trend continues it will have to close.
What is YOUR solution?
Unless there is a strong pull to be here, the metro area abounds in diversity, great parks and rec opportunity, cheaper housing, job opportunities, and good schools with slightly lower taxes ;)
parent
I compared it to other central area schools (Montlake, TOPS, Leschi, Bailey Gatzert, McGilvra, Stevens), a couple of north end schools (Pinehurst, Broadview Thomson, Bagley, Greenwood, Olympic Hills, Northgate, Olympic View, John Rogers), and a couple of south-end schools (Kimball, Dearborn Park, Hawthorne, Concord, Gatewood, Roxhill, Emerson, Van Asselt, Graham Hill, Dunlap). Madrona averaged the highest attrition (and this year posted attrition of 70.7%).
The size of K says that many families are consistently willing to give Madrona a shot. The attrition says that something happens that consistently causes families to leave, with nobody willing to take the vacated spot. That's an issue, and it's an issue that affects students.
Filling Madrona's classrooms won't fix the capacity problem. But it will give the school better, more consistent funding, which would benefit students attending Madrona. And it will also reduce the capacity strain that Madrona is currently causing other SPS schools.
It is baffling that childcare space is being taken away from a school that has quite a bit of available space.
The chronic under-enrollment at Madrona has allowed it to serve as a de-facto African-American Academy since that school closed. It doesn't draws students from within its attendance area very well, but it does draw some from outside it. And, since there is space available, families can make that choice. I don't know if this is happening as much as it once did. Given the enrollment numbers, apparently not.
Whatever the reason for the school's underenrollment, it is undeniable and therefore the expulsion of childcare is inexplicable.
NE Parent
not new
1) there is no current charter law
2) the chances of one passing this session are low
3) even if there was a new law, it's going to court (again)
4) under any law/bill, a charter could not access a school building in use without a conversion petition. I'd be hard-pressed to see that happening and again, that would probably go to court as well b/c of the issue of "gifting public funds."
Thanks.
-North-end Mom
I have read your post . I love your writing and always read your post.Attention Please: Childcare Institute in Australia has everything you need to make your life easier as you begin your career as a childcare professional. Look about: certificate 3 in childcare
welcome
Alexandra Ariana
Tag: certificate 3 in childcare
Daycare seattle
Preschool seattle