by Cole Oakland
The Kansas City Kansas Community College Student Senate recently held a special public session to address the announcement of the closing of the child care center at KCKCC.
According to the college, the center, which has been open since 1978, is being closed due to low enrollment numbers and economic hardship. The college stated that it has a deficit of $1.8 million and is shifting its focus to provide better quality education to its more than 5,500 students, according to a spokesman.
Gary Enrique Bradley-Lopez, Student Senate president, as well as others on the Senate, held the special session to help address the concerns of parents and students, as well as to discuss possible solutions to the closing of the center.
Solutions ranged from scholarships, to fundraising, to support from local businesses. Those present were split into groups to discuss what they felt would be a possible solution to closing the center, and their thoughts were shared with others in attendance.
While many solutions were presented, some parents and students did not feel that the session achieved much.
Students who are training in professional programs, like nursing, respiratory, and technical education, say they rely on the child care center to attend class.
Kristy Bennett, a student at KCKCC, said, “We were notified in mid-April and given no options for child care after it closes.”
Julia Deel, a student who uses the center, said, “I would pay more to know my child is safe.”
To the parents, a solution is not about money, but the quality of child care. The KCKCC child care center recently received 0 violations on its last inspection and prides itself on low staff-to-student ratios.
Susan Lindahl, chief operating and financial officer at KCKCC, said the school would look at all the solutions offered by the Student Senate and parents, but unfortunately the college does not have the ability to support a child care center.
According to Lindahl, the school would look into using grants and would like to eventually evolve the program into a grant-funded operation, but currently, the center must still close. Fewer than 30 students use the center, which does not bring in the needed revenue to continue operation of the center.
“It’s heart-wrenching, and we would do anything to help our students,” Lindahl said. She also stated that the school would consider potential transitional scholarships for parents to use other child care services. “This is not taken lightly,” said Lindahl when asked about the closing.
According to the school, other community colleges in the nation have also been forced to close their child care centers. The percentage of colleges operating care centers has dropped from 50 percent to almost 44 percent, mostly due to budget issues.
The school will be working with parents to find other child care in the area and will be working with teachers at the center to find new employment.
