Schools

Letter to the Editor: Closure of Citrus College's Child Development Center a Disservice to the Community

The following is a reader-submitted letter to the editor: 

Depending upon which source you’re looking, Citrus has justified the June 2012 closure of the campus Child Development Center with different “reasons”: 

An article from March 2012 mentioned how some parents heard the news, “In a letter dated March 1 and signed by Irene Malmgren, Ed.D., vice president of academic affairs, parents of the children in the Orfalea Family Child’s Center were informed that the decision had been made in the wake of declining enrollment and state budget cuts…” and “…the college finds itself in the untenable position of no longer having adequate funds to continue to subsidize the Child Development Center.” 

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But then later (in the same article), Citrus representatives were quoted as saying, “’The decision for the closure was made following a decision by Gov. Jerry Brown to fund the “Welfare to Work” program rather than child care for student parents.’” 

SO WHICH IS IT?

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Also in March 2012, they said, “…even if Brown’s tax referendum is approved Nov. 6 by California voters, campus revenue will not increase enough to reopen the CDC.’” 

 (It sounds like they’d already made up their minds?) And then just 15 days later,they told the San Gabriel Valley Tribune that, (they expected that) “…it wouldn't reopen until the state begins recovering from the economic downturn.” 

So under these false pretenses, the school still rallied for support for Proposition 30, anyway. Since the measure passed, it means that the community will be paying more in taxes (despite the fact that here in Los Angeles County, we’re already paying an outlandish amount)! (…and somehow the college doesn’t feel obligated to reopen the child care center…?) When Prop 30 passed, the school reported that, “Proposition 30 will (also) allow the college to implement the mandates of the Student Success Act of 2012…”, (part of which happened to be to) “…restore the support services (that facilitate academic achievement)…” 

I understand that at the time it was shut down “temporarily”, it was a matter of necessity. But things have gone from a stand-point of “no longer having adequate funds to continue to subsidize the Child Development Center…’”, to one where the state has projected a budget surplus, and thanks to Proposition 30, the state will be paying 30.7% more per full-time equivalency student than was paid in 2012.

The school’s current position on the matter is, “Citrus is also taking the conservative approach by focusing on restoring enrollment rather than programs and services…”, “…For example, vice president of finance Carol Horton said that reopening the campus Child Development Center is not a priority at the moment.” 

They claim that they “are looking for options to keep the center open…” But as they continue with that statement, they reveal, “However, they have not received any proposals from private companies to assume responsibility for its operation.” Why “private companies,” when the center is funded through the California Department of Education? They also seem to point the blame at the fact that 75% of families receive full subsidies for child care services. Perhaps the Governor’s choice to fund the “Welfare to Work” program wasn’t necessarily a decision which eliminated a source of funding for the center, after all? If the majority of people with subsidies are participants in the “Welfare to Work” program, wouldn't the money come “full circle”?

If they are waiting for a private investor to drop money in their lap in order for them to make the decision to reopen the center, that is absolutely ridiculous! They were given $1 million from Kinko’s founder Paul Orfalea in 2001, to endow the Child Development Center… It was the largest donation in Citrus College history, and this is how they show their gratitude all these years later? (By being greedy and expecting another hand-out from a private resource, in order to provide this service for the students/community?) That’s some nerve!

So HAVE THEY actually been searching for other alternative sources of funding?

According to a June 2011 article, which spoke of the center offering free meals to the community, the center has had another source of government funding available. The article stated, “Funding to run the center partially comes from the city of Glendora’s Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) program. According to documents made public by the city, low and moderate Glendora households are provided with access to licensed family day care and pre-school services for their children.” According to a Public Hearing Notice which was posted in April of 2012, “The Child Development Program at Citrus College is closing in June and has withdrawn their application for funding.” 

The City of Glendora only earmarked $3,299 of the 2012-13 CDBG funds to go to the Citrus College Child Development Center? (If I'm not mistaken, I think I read in a report that this money was used for the tuition of 2 individual children?) (I believe that they were Glendora residents, and came from lower-income households?) Regardless, that hardly seems like an appropriate application of this funding/program, considering how (in June 2011), it was stated that “Glendora families presently make up 20 percent of the students attending the day care program…”. If that is true, then I think the City of Glendora was irresponsible in their submissions for potential programs which would receive this funding? ...or by their handling of these funds? In my opinion, they certainly misrepresented the extent of services it provided with those funds.

The center shouldn’t be viewed as “just another child care center,” since it served other purposes, as well. For students enrolled in the child development program at Citrus,the center served as a “lab site”where the students could do the hands-on portion of their education. Now the students will have to use the centers on the campuses of Pasadena City College,Glendale Community College, or Mt. San Antonio College in order to fulfill this requirement. The Infant Center also served as a “Program for Infant/Toddler Caregivers (PITC) Model Demonstration Site.”

Well it just so happens, that CA Department of Education has created the federal Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) State Plan for CA, which will be in effect from 10/1/13 to 9/30/15. The draft for this plan provided the following introduction, “The federal Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) is an aggregate of several funding sources that is distributed in block grants by the federal government to the states and territories. The majority of the funds are to be used to provide child care services to families who meet certain income and need criteria….”, “The purpose of the CCDF is to increase the availability, affordability,and quality of child care services….” 

Within CA’s CCDF Plan, 5 of the 27 activities/programs to have funding available, are those which involve PITC sites (like the one that remains closed at Citrus College).

I am getting the impression that the school has no intention of putting any effort into reopening the center. My first clue was when I saw the most recent campus map that was printed out on a piece of paper, and available for students on campus. Not only is the center not labeled on the map, but the playground and other outdoor structures (previously displayed) are no longer shown. It’s as if they’ve completely washed their hands of the whole thing and haven’t looked back, since. (All this at a time when the government is encouraging people to better their lives by going back to school, no matter what point they may be at in their lives (including after having children)? And yet they "wonder" why people are attending other schools, schools with functioning child care centers?)

They should also recognize that Citrus College has been undergoing construction projects for some time now, and potential applicants would only see that as a hindrance, considering how condensed the campus is? It will take some time for those people to notice if/when that phase is over…!

The school is supposed to be serving the interests and needs of the community,including those of the students who depend on the Child Development Center’s services. Prop 30 was passed, and other (non-private) options seem to be (&/or have been?) available for funding…

There is obviously something worthwhile here, shouldn’t the school (as well as the city of Glendora?), be doing more to facilitate the reopening of this valuable resource…?

Sincerely,

Shelly E.


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