Madison School District aims to provide 1,000 child care spots during online start to year

Aug. 4--Despite Madison students beginning the new school year with all-online learning, more than 1,000 elementary students could be inside school buildings in September under a district initiative to provide child care.

The Madison School District plans to offer child care for up to 1,000 students at 15 elementary schools and at the Allied Learning Center, potentially using federal COVID-19 relief money to pay for the $1 million initiative. Students in the school-based child care settings will still learn online using iPads and Chromebooks.

The district is also partnering with child care providers to run programs inside other elementary schools and at community sites for up to another potential 1,000 students, who the district would feed and transport.

There are about 13,500 elementary students in the School District.

"With commitments from other providers, our hope is to have a child care program in all of our elementary schools," said Janet Dyer, executive director of Madison School and Community Recreation, the district's community programming arm that will operate the child care sites.

On Monday, the Madison School Board was briefed by administrative staff about the child care initiative and other plans for the start of the 2020-21 school year, which will be completely online for at least the first quarter in response to elevated coronavirus cases in Dane County.

Administrators updated the board on expectations for daily attendance-taking during online learning, how communication between students, teachers and families would happen, supports for student social-emotional and mental health, and eight days of teacher training before the first day of classes.

At MSCR's child care sites, enrollment will prioritize children from low-income families; households with essential workers, such as health care employees, grocery store staff and bus drivers; and children of teachers and staff at the child care sites, along with families referred by principals.

Child care through the district's program, referred to as "MSCR Cares," will cost $150 a week, Dyer said. But she anticipates about half of the families would be eligible to have the fee waived based on income.

Enrollment in the program opens Wednesday and runs through Aug. 21. The child care sites will be open the duration of the first quarter, which is Sept. 8 through Oct. 30.

The start times will align with the typical morning bell of each elementary school, Dyer said, and families will have the option to keep children in child care longer than when school would normally let out.

Each of the 16 sites to be operated by MSCR could hold up to 60 students divided into four groups of 15.

About 225 people will be needed to staff the sites, which could include at least 150 re-assigned district employees, such as security assistants, food service staff and educational assistants, who might otherwise be "underutilized" in the all-online learning format, Dyer said.

While there won't be teachers at the sites, Dyer said staff will support students in their learning by keeping them focused on completing online school work and helping solve technology problems.

The district is exploring whether it can use money from the $2 trillion federal CARES Act package to cover the anticipated $1 million in expenses for the child care program.

Kelly Ruppel, chief financial officer, said the district is waiting on guidance from the state on whether it can put money from the Governor's Emergency Education Relief fund -- one of two CARES Act pots the district is getting money from -- toward child care.

In addition to the sites MSCR will run, the district is working with community groups for more child care solutions, which could offer another 1,000 spots.

So far, providers have agreed to offer child care at 11 Madison elementary schools, two middle schools and 12 community-based locations like neighborhood centers and the Vilas Zoo.

Dyer said the providers would set their own weekly rates, but the district would feed students breakfast and lunch, provide nursing services at the sites and transport students.

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