Child care programs for Bloomington-Normal students are filling up, with less than a week until the start of the fall semester.
The programs—some of which are offered in Unit 5 school buildings—are meant to help parents who aren't able to supervise their children's remote learning. They’re being run by community organizations like the YMCA, the Boys and Girls Club, and smaller day care centers.
Unit 5 parent Jamie Riddle enrolled her second grader in a day camp facilitated by the Town of Normal Parks and Recreation Department. Riddle and her spouse both work—one is home, one at an office—which makes handling remote learning challenging. They’d planned to send their daughter back to the classroom, before the district moved to all-remote instruction to start the fall semester.
Riddle said day camp was the only option for them to ensure that their daughter gets the help she needs throughout the day. The problem is the cost, she said. The Normal Parks and Rec program costs $1,000 for eight weeks, which Riddle said they’ll have to pay for with a credit card. And if in-person classes don’t resume in mid-October, she said, they could end up taking a $3,000 hit by the time the semester is over.
"Those lower-income families and kids, I feel like they're just going to fall by the wayside."
Riddle said the programs give students with the financial means to participate an unfair advantage.
“We think it’s worth it to do this for what’s best for our daughter, but some people don’t have that option of a credit card—or just have an extra $1,000 laying around to be able to do this,” Riddle said. “Those lower-income families and kids, I feel like they’re just going to fall by the wayside. It sounds kind of crazy, but I feel like it’s a slap in the face to our kids’ education.”
Riddle said she understands the safety concerns that went into Unit 5’s decision to keep kids away from the classroom. But she said the plan puts parents in an impossible spot—having to manage their own work obligations while also being responsible for their child’s learning—and these day camps don’t feel any safer.
“It’s just a little frustrating that they’re willing to open the schools for these day camps, but not for kids to actually go to school,” Riddle said.
Those running the day camps said they’re not meant to replace in-person learning, but to make sure child supervision is available to parents who need it.
Audriana Nechkash, director of school-age children at Scribbles Center for Learning, said the day camps Scribbles is offering at its Bloomington facility and at Benjamin Elementary aren't meant to replace school. Staff are primarily trained in play-based child care.
“Very rarely do we get elementary school teachers. This is definitely going to be different for us, too,” Nechkash said. “We are here to guide and help as much as possible, but we are not the classroom teacher.”
Normal Parks and Recreation Director Doug Damery said the goal is just to give students time to get done what the school districts need them to get done, and his staff will do what it can to help along the way.
“We are talking about K-5 grade, so I’m confident we’re going to be able to help them get logged in and make sure they’re interacting appropriately and effectively with their instructors or teachers,” Damery said. “Outside of that, we really don’t know much more about it.”
Damery said he understands the $1,000 registration may be out of reach for some families. But he said the department feels it’s a fair price for child care, especially because there are some additional costs related to COVID-19 mitigation efforts.
“This is not a program we had planned for, so there are some unknowns,” Damery said. “And obviously with COVID and the precautions we’re going to need to take, we’re making sure that we’re covering all of our expenses that are really directly related to this program.” With the other budgetary challenges posed by the pandemic, Damery said, the program just isn’t able to be subsidized.
In a statement posted on social media, Unit 5 told parents it is not profiting off the day camp programs run in its buildings. The district said the programs will be limited to 20 to 70 students per school building. Unit 5 teachers will not be involved in the day camps because they will be teaching remotely.
The district said financial assistance may be available through the Illinois Department of Human Services’ Child Care Assistance Program.
Editor's Note: This story has been changed to remove the Children's Discovery Museum from the list of entities offering day care. The museum does not offer a full-day option.
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