HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES - 12071999 - SD4 •
TO: BOARD OF SUPERVISORS ✓ '``°.. .
Contra
FROM: GAYLE B. UILKEMA Costa
SUPERVISOR DISTRICT II ; ------ County
DATE: December 7, 1999
SUBJECT: AUTHORIZATION OF JOINT STAFF STUDY RELATED TO THE PERMITTING OF
CHILD CARE FACILITIES
SPECIFIC REQUEST(S) OR RECOMMENDATION(S) & BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION
RECOMMENDATIONS
1. AUTHORIZE the Community Development Department, the Public Works
Department and the Building Inspection Department with the assistance of the
Community Services Department to conduct a joint staff study to identify
opportunities within each departments' purview that would assist in improving the
availability of child care in the County.
2. DIRECT the Departments to return to the Internal Operations Committee in April,
2000 with the completed report.
CONTINUED ON ATTACHMENT: X YES SIGNATU .6,
RECOMMENDATION OF COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR RECOMMENDAT N OF BOAR15 COMMITTEE
APPROVE OTHER
SIGNATURES
ACTION OF BOARD ON 9 APPROVED AS RECOMMENDEDE
SEE ADDENDUM FOR BOARD ACTION
VOTE OF SUPERVISORS I HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS IS A TRUE AND
_UNANIMOUS(ABSENT/)(1/i CORRECT COPY OF AN ACTION TAKEN AND
AYES: NOES: ENTERED ON THE MINUTES OF THE BOARD OF
ABSENT: ABSTAIN: SUPERVISORS ON THE DATE SHOWN
Contact: Judy Carney 335-1046 ATTESTED
cc:Community Development-Catherine Kutsuris PHIL BAT HELOR, CLERK OF TH BOARD OF
Building Inspection-Carlos Baltodano SUPERVISORS AND COUNTY ADMININISTRATOR
Public Works-Heather Ballenger
Community Services-Pat Stroh
BY EPUTY
December 7, 1999
Board of Supervisors
Child Care
Page 2
FISCAL IMPACT
This review has been designed such that costs will be minimized. The Departmental costs
will be limited to allocating a total of 70 hours during the 3-month period. The Community
Development Department will cover their staff costs through a request for reimbursement
for an unfunded mandate. The Building Inspection Department will cover its staff costs
through existing land development fees.
BACKGROUND/REASONS FOR RECOMMENDATIONS
Childcare providers in the Lamorinda area have expressed concern about the availability of
childcare facilities. This issue is important countywide.
Typically, childcare providers are small business owners who are not accustomed to the
planning and building process, and who operate on a small profit margin. As such, a
childcare provider could be expending funds for a permit which would have substantial
opposition or which is located on a site that would ultimately be expensive to develop.
In response to this issue and with the understanding of the need for childcare facilities
countywide, the Community Development Department, Public Works Department, Building
Inspection Department and Community Services Department have agreed to participated in
a joint staff study. This study would involve a review of departmental practices, and the
identification of any opportunities to streamline or tailor the process to facilitate the
establishment or expansion of childcare facilities.
The staff study would include the following components:
• A review of department practices relating to the consideration of a proposed childcare
facility;
• A review of the implementation costs (e.g., infrastructure improvements) and the
identification of alternate funding sources;
• An assessment of applicant opportunities which would streamline the process and
reduce development costs; and
• A review of possible partnerships that could be developed to expand existing facilities or
encourage the development of new facilities in appropriate locations.
The review would be conducted during the three month period from January to March,
2000. The report would be finalized and submitted to the Internal Operations Committee in
April, 2000 for subsequent consideration by the Board.
ADDENDUM TO ITEM SDA
December 7, 1999
On this date, the Board of Supervisors considered authorizing the Community
Development Department, Public Works Department, Building Inspection
Department, and Community Services Department to conduct a joint staff study to
identify opportunities within each department's purview that would assist in
improving the availability of child care in the County.
The following persons presented testimony:
Kate Ertz-Berger, Child Care Council, 1135 Detroit Ave, Concord;
Dorothy Stewart, Lamorinda Advocates for Families, 984 Moraga Road, Lafayette;
Kathy Lafferty, Cambridge Community Center, 1344 Sherwood Drive, Concord;
Ann Whitehead, The Child Day Schools, 644 Glorietta Blvd., Lafayette;
Bonnie Henry, Bonnie Henry Commercial Real Estate, 1990 N. California Blvd.
Ste 830, WalnutCreek;
Janice Townsend, 271 Gloria Drive, Pleasant Hill.
Following further discussion, the Board took the following actions:
AUTHORIZED the Community Development Department, the Public Works
Department and the Building Inspection Department with the assistance of the
Community Services Department to conduct a joint staff study to identify
opportunities within each departments' purview that would assist in improving the
availability of child care in the County; and DIRECTED the Departments to return
to the Internal Operations Committee in April, 2000 with the completed report.
Childr
For Immediate Release
�e
December 7, 1999
Cat e CATHERINE J. ERTZ-BERGER
COURC1*1 ' (925) 676-5442
Shortage of Licensed Child Care Documented in Contra Costa County;
"Heoingparmts Care for Two Children Takes 26% of County Median Income
put the pieces together:"
CONCORD - There is enough licensed child care in Contra Costa County for only 29%
❑ ADMINIS`MTION of children who need care while their parents work, according to a report released
1035 Detroit Ave.,Ste.200 Tuesday by the San Francisco-based California Child Care Resource and Referral
Concord,CA 94518
(925)676.5442 Network. By this measure, Contra Costa County ranks 12th among California's 58
(925)825-2732 FAX counties in the supply of child care, according to the Network., a statewide organization
❑ am HmTH of 61 locally-based, state funded resource and referral agencies (R&Rs), that works to
AND NUMMON PROGRAM improve the quality and availability of child care.
1035 Detroit Ave.,Ste.200 p 9 tY Y
Concord,CA 94518
(925)6766117 "parents are struggling find child in Contra Costa County. In many
(925)6765829 FAx gg g to care ouy'
neighborhoods family child care homes and child care centers are full. It's very hard on
❑ WWAM
5Richmond".,Ste.11 families," says Kate Ertz-Berger, Executive Director of the Contra Costa Child Care
Richmond,CA 94806 Council, the county's resource and referral agency(R&R). The Child Care Council
(510)758-KIDY
(510)2436540 FAX helps families locate child care, provides important information to parents about quality
care, and trains child care providers in child development and business skills.
❑ C2ffM AREA
1035 Detroit Ave.,Ste.600
Concord,CA 94518 Child care centers are having trouble finding teachers because many are leaving the low-
(925)676KIDs paying field for other, better-paying Jobs, including teaching in public elementary(925)676-6283 FAX schools. Nationally, turnover in the child care profession is estimated at more t
ha
n 30%
El BISHOP
2682 Bishop Drive,Ste.110 annually.
San Ramon,CA 94583
(925)830-0506
(925)834-1279 FAX Although child care salaries are low, costs remain very high for parents. In Contra Costa
❑ EAseAM County, a family at the median household income would have to pay 26% of its
3104 Delta Fair Boulevard household income to put an infant and a preschooler in a child care center. The situation
Antioch,CA 94509 is even worse for low-income families. The average cost for full-time care for an infant
(925)778-KIDS
(925)778-3350 FAX at a child care center is $8,471 in the county. A single mother earning the minimum
wage of$11,960 a year would have to pay 71% of her income to pay for care.
There are not enough child care subsidies for all the families who need help in Contra
Costa County. There are currently more than 4,000 families eligible for assistance who
are on the Child Care Council's waiting list for subsidy. Some of the families have been
on the list for more than 2 years.
The Child Care Council is working hard to improve the child care situation in Contra
Costa County. The R&R runs monthly workshops to train family child care providers,
and more than 2,400 existing and potential providers participated last year. These
workshops contributed to the licensing of 247 new family child care homes in the county.
The Child Care Council offers classes for Infant/Toddler caregivers, those working with
submitted by speaker K. Ertz-Berger SD4
schoolage children, and child caregivers who want to better serve children with special needs.
The Child Care Council is a nonprofit organization dedicated to assisting parents, providers and
policy makers. Funded by the California Department of Education, Child Development Division,
the Child Care Council is one of 61 resource and referral agencies (R&Rs) throughout the state.
R&Rs help parents find child care by providing counseling and referrals, and by giving workshops
in child development, safety, and management issues. The Child Care Council also helps policy
makers by gathering standardized data, by identifying key areas of need, and by participating in
policy discussions by local child care planning councils and other groups.
The Child Care Council is a resource available to the press; its staff has expertise and access to
research on many aspects of child care, and can introduce reporters to families and child care
providers for interviews.
The nonprofit California Child Care Resource and Referral Network is an association of 61
member agencies in all 58 California counties. The Network, based in San Francisco, coordinates
data collection among member agencies, conducts research, and develops training materials used
by R&Rs to keep parents informed and to facilitate discussion among parents, providers, and local
governments. It helps build the supply and quality of child care by supporting recruitment and
training of child care providers, and it manages TrustLine, the state's background check for in-
home and license-exempt child care providers. The Network also plays a role in national policy
discussions as the oldest, most well-established system of child care resource and referral in the
country.
Note to editors: Please also see the press release on the full, statewide report.
submitted by speaker K. Ertz-Berger SD4
cz, • • • • •
Licensed child care meets only a small fraction of the need in Contra Costa County.
Licensed Child Care Supply= 32,623 slots
s'
63% of all slots are in child care centers
Up to 24 months 4%of center slots
Ages 2-5 63% of center slots
12,147 slots 1n Ages 6 and over 33% of center slots
1,506 family child 37% of all slots are in family child care homes'
Children Needing Child Care = 110,850
Children with working parents
Ages 0-5 44,705 children
-13 66,145 children
Ages 6
'vYl..`:ter.;..;:{:::...
X. Licensed child Gaze supply 1 meets only29% of the estimated
need for licensed care for children of all ages. There are
13 with worldngParents34 times more children ages
than licensed child care slots.
Contra Costa County ranks 12th among California's 58
counties in its supply of licensed child care slots, as
represented by this ratio.
Child Care'Requests to R&Rss Licensed Child Care Supply
Type of care requested Facilities 1996 1998 Change
Infant/toddler care 39%of calls Child care centers 335 336 0%
Preschool care 39%of calls Slots for infants 832 910 9%
School-age care 22%of calls Slots for ages 2-5 12,766 12,808 0%
Family child care homes 85%of calls Slots for ages 6 and over 6,744 6,758 0%
Child care centers 48%of calls Family child care homes 1,483 1,506 2%
In-home care9 2%of calls Slots for all ages' 11,297 12,147 8%
Schedules requested Schedules offered
Full-time care 65% Of all slots in licensed child care centers
Part-time care 36% Full-time and part-time 66%
Before-and/or after-school care 14% Only full-time available 5%
Only part-time available 30%
Full-time care,children ages 0-5 70%
Of all slots in licensed family child care homes
Part-time care,children ages 0-5 31% Full-time and part-time 86%
Commuting schedules Only full time available 9%
Workers outside the home commuting Only part time available 4%
to work between 5 a.m. and 10 a.m. 83% Centers with before/after school care' 47%
Workers leaving home after 10 a.m. Homes with before/after school care 66%
for swing or night shifts 17%
Requests for care during non-traditional hours10 Care available during non-traditional hours
Evening,overnight,or weekend care 6% In licensed and license-exempt centers" 1%
In family child care homes 21%
..................... .. .................. ...... .
Portion of Income Needed to Pay for an Infant in a Licensed Child Care Center
For a Family at Minimum Wage For a Low-Income Family For a Family at Median Income
Minimum wage=$11,960/year Low-income=$30,000 or less12 County median income=$56,247/year
7. Breakdowns of slots by age are not available,as family child care homes are licensed to care for children of all ages.
8. Percentages may total more or less than 100%because of rounding or because in some categories callers request more than one type of care.In some cases
percentages could be less than 100%because not all types of care are noted in these data.('Ibese requests would be noted as`other".)Since some parents find
child care without using R&Rs,the calls recorded here do not necessarily represent total demand for child care,although they do reflect trends.
9. Care by a nanny or babysitter in the child's home.This,along with some other forms of care,is referred to as license-exempt care.
10.Evening,overnight,or weekend care.
11.Some programs are exempt from licensing requirements.
12 While low-income is defined here as households earning less than$30,000,eligibility for child care subsidies is based on 75%of the state median
income level.In 1998,a family of three earning less than$33,852 was eligible for a child care subsidy.
• ffmgm •
12-7-99 submitted by speaker K. Ertz-Berger SD4
Contra Costa
tool
Contra Costa Countyis an economically
County
diverse, fast-growing county. Children in
Contra Costa are more likely to have two
working parents or a single working parent
than children in most other counties in "Parents in Contra Costa County are very
California, generating a tremendous need interested in learning about quality child care
for child care services.
and how they can find it. And most child care
According to the Contra Costa Child Care workers in the county truly love working with
Council, .the local .resource and referral
(R&R) agency, there are dramatic shortages young children and are eager to learn how to in particular types of child care in Contra do their jobs better."
Costa. Only about half of the need for
infant-toddler care is currently being met;
at least 5,000 more slots for children of this The 'people
age are needed. As a result, many new
mothers find themselves in the difficult Total number of residents in the county 9169900
situation of not being able to return to work Total number of children under 14 184,678
when they planned, or having to use care %of children ages 0-13 living in poverty' 11% 20,231
they are not comfortable with. After-school %of children ages 0-5 living in poverty 12% 9,642
care is also in short supply,with an additional %of children ages 6-13 living in poverty 10% 10,589
1.5,000 spaces needed. Parents also have
Children ages 0-5 in low-income households2 19,082
trouble finding extended-hour care, a nec-
essity when parents commute long distances. Contra Costa has the 47th highest rate of child poverty
Only a small fraction of licensed centers and among California's 58 counties.
family child care homes offer evening,
night,or weekend care. Children of Working Parents
Staffing shortage is hitting child care hard. Children living with working parents'
Contra Costa is suffering from a severe child %of children ages 0-13 60% 110,850
care staffing crisis caused by low wages %of children ages 0-5 54% 44,705
and inadequate benefits. Many child care %of children ages 6-13 65% 66,145
workers are leaving the field for better-paying Estimated%of children in care outside the family4
jobs, including elementary school teaching, %ages 0-5 in care outside the family 51% 22,799
where demand is high because of class-size %ages 6-13 in care outside the family 20% 13,229
reduction. Some child care programs have
been forced to close their doors due to the Child Care Costs, Family Income,and Child Care Salaries
lack of qualified staff.
Funds are needed to help low hxame fatni ies. Average annual cost of full-time, licensed care
The lack of financial resources to assist low- in a center, for an infant up to 24 months $8,471
income working families pay for child care Annual minimum wage of full-time worker $11,960
has hit the county hard."While there are two Care for an infant as a%of minimum wage 71%
children in low-income families eligible for Median annual household income in the county $56,247
child care assistance for every one child whose Care for an infant as%of median income 15%
family receives welfare, there has been
little funding to help low-income families in Care for two children as%of median incomes 26%
recent years," says one R&R specialist. "It's Salary of child care worker" $16,140
very troubling:' Salary of preschool teacher6 $20,090
Salary of entry-level public school teacher 6 $23,835
This report is excerpted from The California Child Care Portfolio 01999(permission to
reproduce granted),available through your local resource and referral agency.For data source
information,see the pages entitled"Understanding The County Data Pages"in the full edition
of the Portfolio.
For more information about child care in 1.The national average poverty threshold for a family of four is$12,674.
Contra Costa County,call: 2. A low-income household is defied here as earning less than$30,000.
3. Children living with two employed parents or an employed single head of household
4. %of all children with worlong parents;estimate based on national rates of child care use.
Contra Costa Child Care Council 925-676-5442 5.Fun-timecweatalimsedchild cme-- IF foraninfaot(up to24months)andachild(age 2-5).
6. Statewide averages;public elementary school teacher salary based on school year.
submitted by speaker K. Ertz-Berger SD4 12-7-99 46
California . ,
Child Care
Resource Referral
h
Y r
Network
EMBARGOED UNTIL 10 a.m.Dec.7, 1999 For release on December 7, 1999
Date: Dec. 6, 1999 Contact: Patty Siegel
(415) 882-0234
Strong Economy Exacerbating Child Care Shortage,High Costs;
Nearly Five Children for Every Space in Licensed Child Care;
Care for Two Children Takes 30% of State Median Income,Says Report
SACRAMENTO--California's strong economy has contributed to a crisis in the state's child care
system,spurring severe shortages of child care providers in some areas,driving child care prices out
of reach for many families, and making it harder than ever for families to find high-quality,
affordable, accessible child care, according to a report released today by the California Child Care
Resource &Referral Network.
Care during the crucial infant and toddler years is in especially short supply, as is after-school care
for children, according to The 1999 California Child Care Portfolio,the second in a biennial series
of statewide and county-by-county statistical reports prepared by the Network, a statewide
organization with 61 member agencies throughout California which works to improve the quality
and availability of child care.
"At a time when new brain research shows just how crucial a child's earliest years are to his or her
lifetime success,our data shows that only a small percentage of California children have access to
licensed child care. Even middle-income families are struggling to pay for child care,and many are
forced to choose on the basis of cost rather than quality," said Patty Siegel,Executive Director of
the Network.
Darrell Steinberg,Sacramento Assemblyman and Chair of the Assembly Labor Committee,helped
present the study at a press conference Tuesday at the Governor's office. "As the state enjoys
sustained economic growth, we must remember that quality child care is as crucial a piece of the
economic infrastructure as roads and phone lines,"said Steinberg. "Our workforce will not succeed
without child care. But the supply is threatened by the low wages of child care workers, who are
leaving the profession for higher-paying jobs."
-more- Page 1
111 New Montgomery Street,7th Floor San Francisco,CA 94105 (415) 882-0234 Fax: (415) 882-6233
12-7-99 submitted by speaker K. Ertz-Berger SD4 '/7
The report's findings include:
• There is only enough licensed child care for about one in five children with working parents
in California. More than three million children with working parents in the state cannot get
access to licensed child care.
• The supply of licensed child care varies widely by county. In San Bernardino,there is room
for only one in seven children with working parents. In Los Angeles County, where more
than a quarter of the state's children live, there is room at licensed child care facilities for
only one in six children with working parents.In San Francisco County,licensed child care
is available for one in three children with working parents;in Fresno County,for one in five;
and in Sacramento for one in four.
• Quality child care is unaffordable even for many middle-income parents. For a family at the
state median income,the cost of care at a licensed child care center for a preschooler and an
infant takes an average of 30% of the households's earnings.
• For low-income parents, the situation is even worse: care for one infant at a licensed child
care center would take 55%of the income of a parent earning minimum wage-and more than
80% in some high-cost counties.
• Although costs are high for parents,wages remain low for child care workers. The average
salary of a preschool teacher in California is just $20,090 for twelve months' work. By
contrast,an entry-level elementary school teacher earns$23,835 for a ten-month work year,
with the opportunity eventually to earn$40,000 to$50,000 or more a year later in his or her
career. Nationally, child care workers earn less than parking lot attendants and animal
caretakers.
• Many preschool teachers are leaving child care to take jobs in the public elementary school
system,the high-tech industry, and in other higher-paying professions.Nationally,turnover
in the child care profession is estimated at more than 30%annually,a level of instability that
can create an emotionally stressful environment for children.
• Infant care is hard to find. Although 33% of parents calling resource and referral agencies
were looking for infant care, only 4% of licensed child care centers offer infant care.
• Demand for school-age care is up,with 23%of parents calling resource and referral agencies
for help in finding care for school-age children, up from 20% two years ago.
Maria Balakshin,Director of the California Department of Education,Child Development Division,
which funded the study, said that the report shows that much remains to be done to strengthen child
care in the state. "As our state focuses on improving education, we must not forget how important
the quality of early care and education is to children's ability to succeed later in school,"explained
Balakshin. "The children in child care and development programs now are the future workers,
citizens, and parents of California.For them to succeed in these different roles,they need the strong
foundation that quality early care and education can provide. One initiative of the Department that
we believe will make a difference is the implementation of Universal Preschool.The numbers in this
Portfolio show that we have a long way to go before all children in California can have access to
quality child care."
However,Network Executive Director Siegel pointed to a number of bright spots in the child care
-more- Page 2
12-7-99 submitted by speaker K. Ertz-Berger SD4
(/7
field. Proposition 10 will provide millions of dollars for early childhood education and health care
for young children. New funding is now available for after-school programs. And discussions
toward making preschool universally available in California have begun,following in the footsteps
of programs in New York and Georgia. "This is a time of great opportunity for child care. Parents
and many policymakers are ready to bring about important change," says Siegel.
The nonprofit California Child Care Resource&Referral Network(CCCRRN)is an association of
61 state-funded member agencies in all 58 California counties. Resource and referral agencies
(R&Rs)are a unique hub in the world of child care,connecting parents,providers,and policymakers
in each community. R&Rs help parents find child care by providing referrals of licensed child care
providers to parents and by offering parents important information on how to choose quality care.
R&Rs help child care providers by offering training in child development,safety,and business skills
and they help policymakers by gathering standardized data,by identifying key areas of local need,
and by participating in policy discussions.
R&Rs first emerged as grassroots organizations of parents helping each other find child care in the
early 1970s; since 1976 they have been funded by the California Department of Education, Child
Development Division. R&Rs have a linchpin role in welfare reform, as many of them administer
government child care subsidies,and because they all provide the crucial child care referrals needed
by parents transitioning off welfare into the workforce. Because R&Rs in California are in daily
contact with tens of thousands of parents of all income levels and with a diverse pool of caregivers,
they can provide valuable insights into child care,child development, and work and family issues.
The Network,based in San Francisco for nearly twenty years,coordinates data collection among its
member agencies, conducts research, and provides curriculum R&Rs use to educate parents,
providers, and local governments.The Network helps build the supply and quality of child care by
supporting recruitment and education of child care providers, and manages TrustLine, the state's
background check for in-home and license-exempt child care providers. The Network educates state
and local leaders in child care issues and also plays a role in national policy discussions as the oldest
and most well-established system of child care resource and referral in the nation.
Page 3
12-7-99 submitted by speaker K. Ertz-Berger SM rf
w
'0
F
.�
1695, Canyon . Mora.9a CA. 94556 925 376- 8280
TO: Contra Costa Board of Supervisors
FROM Growing Tree preschool
DATE: December 6, 1999
We are pleased you are considering the issue of child care facilities; and in what ways the County
• rtr y be of assistance to those of yrs attempting to open and operatefaadities. We are sorry we
tnnot attend this meeting personally, but the timing of it prohibits this. Hopefully, this letter will
dive you some sense of at least one school's trials and tribulations.
.fie have been servingTamil ies in Lam.orinald' in6e 190 ; when we opened'Grawirrg Tree Preschool
in oraga, Until 1995, we leased space►in a closed elementary school(as did so many child care
facilities). However, when all the elementary schools were being reopened we needed to relocate.
We were among the,few fortunate ones. . .we ound r Church which was for sale, and through the
S,$A were able to purchase the property. That part of it went quite smoothly.
I,` reconstructing, to turn a once Church'into a current preschool; was a bit daunting. Dealing
with vode*,onod ae ? fir;crd��:.xrot,to terra!ron tateceing regulatiQrtsf was an
eduoirtion in itse ill fix` , Fth regal#ti rns.Ser oesst e, we see some sense i
diem. Ioweet", .
t `e e�afe rrrments that weave ird catrrre to bei completely
super 'u?us. t fat:fit I :tit rally; to f ho►; sic, `0tlars e were required to a i tall
two 2 ull hon, i a ed a e w40
o envy LW-tQ the 0,44 + +f our business,
we ra ted
1,f' .'
permission to ins lone 1};t ioc p rec'„i`acili We explai d that the amo mount o,f money. o
install two bathrooms, as ,v � �#s e it would car e away from play areas, were tit o rewans we
were requesting,,, �er old, rtn uivacabl , that we would not receive a permits
. . y nyP
without two (Z hadiCrppe "bathraaneedless to say, we have two
I he'next surprise a wit ;Me news that we would need to install an elevator(,approximatel,�
, 50,� ,, since the, 'off irrr.recded we were a two story building. Fortunately, our'
contra for was awe tc eonvtnco t kCounty than, because of the slope and square footage, e +ul
be considered a Vie-story iurldrt No elevator was installed. x
There alcrtn system was ntrrdle. We never questioned the need fora safe,fully-l"",
functiorwl Erre alarm syste ',lnfortly, thefire district and the County building codes do'not
necessarily agre0 A,, w-, ar ate essary We are left with a system with so many bells,
r
whistles; horns x�st, , a at:th e: �rspecOr himse'suggested removing some of the U
submitted by speaker Dorothy Stewart pg 1 of 2
equipment so our monthly fire drills could be tolerated by small children. Of course, we have
already had to pay for the equipment the County required, even though the fire inspector suggested
it be removed
Our land space is seriously compromised by the need for five (5) handicapped spaces; in the four
years we have been here, all the spaces continue to be empty, with the exception of an occassional
grandma here to pick up. Additionally, we have a$12,000 ramp, with a$6,000 handrail that have
never been used by a handicapped person!
We feel that there need to be regulations that take into account the needs of children in
accommodating spaces available to preschools While it is, of course, necessary for all businesses
to be able to accommodate persons with disabilities; it is meaningless to subject a child care facility
to the same regulations as a multi-million dollar corporation: this simply means there will be no
new, independently owned child care facilities, there will only be corporate and industrial day care.
We sincerely hope that this letter is heard and read with the same intentions with which it was
written. We have nothing to gain (or lose); we will not be opening another facility; but for those
who would like to, it would be wonderful for the county to be able to say: 'yes, we can help.
Sincerely,
Ly beth McNeill and Linda Richardi
Directors
submitted by speaker Dorothy Stewart pg 2 of 2