September 2023

To: The Shoreline School District Board of Directors

From: Shoreline School District/Edwin Pratt Extended Care Program Families

Hello,

It has come to the attention of the Families from the Shoreline School District and Edwin Pratt Extended Care Programs that the Shoreline School District either intends to, or is considering shutting down the Edwin Pratt Extended Care Programs as early as this next school year. As the parents, guardians, and supporters of students in these programs we implore you to reconsider.

Many of us work full time and have no other care options for our students. If Edwin Pratt Extended Care Programs are shutdown you will be leaving hundreds of families in the school district without reliable care for our students before and after school hours. Either the Shoreline School District understands that they will be leaving these families in the lurch, regarding childcare, or perhaps they are anticipating that programs such as the YMCA or Vision House/Children’s Village will step in and fulfill the care needs that will arise. It is misguided to believe that either of the fore mentioned care programs would be able to “step in” and fulfill the void losing the Edwin Pratt Extended Care Programs will create. Both the YMCA and Vision House/Children’s Village are having trouble sufficiently staffing and sustaining the programs that they run in the Shoreline School District now; they also both have very high turn-over rates with the staff they have managed to hire.

Edwin Pratt is engaging and educational. Yes, Edwin Pratt Extended Care is before and after school hours, but they do not let the learning stop at the door. Edwin Pratt Extended Care staff engage with the students in their programs, helping them learn through art, play, reading, outdoor time, riddles, games, math, and so much more. The care that the Edwin Pratt Extended Care staff members feel for our students is palpable.

If Edwin Pratt Extended Care Programs are not bringing revenue in for the school district they are (at the very least) self-sustaining. We would also offer another consideration for you which is to license Edwin Pratt Extended Care Programs. The Edwin Pratt Early Learning Center is already functioning as a licensed program. Many of the Edwin Pratt Extended Care Program staff currently meet most licensing requirements; paid training through the state would help staff members satisfy additional requirements. Licensing the Edwin Pratt Extended Care Programs could potentially bring more grants and added revenue into the school district. The self-sustaining costs of Edwin Pratt Extended Care Programs could potentially help fund the “start-up” costs to license the Edwin Pratt Extended Care Programs, as well as the funding for additional staff that would need to be hired. According to the DCYFS (Department of Children Youth and Families) website https://www.dcyf.wa.gov/services/early-learning-providers/licensed-provider/maintain-license The cost to maintain licensing is as follows: “Child care centers and school-age center programs: $125 per year for the first 12 children, plus $12 per year for each child after the first 12, up to the maximum number of children the facility is licensed to care for (the "licensed capacity").” This would mean for a program of 45 students to maintain licensing would be $521 per year. We understand that this would not be an easy feat, staffing shortages are occurring everywhere. If Edwin Pratt Extended Care was a licensed program, it could also potentially serve more students more equitably.

Please consider that asking hundreds of Shoreline School District families to rely on family, neighbors, and programs that cannot sufficiently sustain staffing with high turnover rates is not realistic. Shutting down Edwin Pratt Extended Care Programs will be forcing many of the families in your school district out of your school district, or will force many of us to take dramatic cuts in our incomes to stay home and care for our students during hours that we are usually working.

We ask you to please reconsider what these programs mean to your families, and especially to the students, who benefit from and love these programs. We ask you to keep the beloved and reputable Edwin Pratt Extended Care Programs open in the Shoreline School District.

Thank you for your time and considerations,

Shoreline School District/Edwin Pratt Families