HomeMy WebLinkAboutCAP 2013-07-22 Item 2D.3 - Update - Preschool ProgramTO:
City of Tukwila
Jim Haggerton, Mayor
INFORMATIONAL MEMORANDUM
Mayor Haggerton
Community Affairs and Parks Committee
FROM: Rick Still, Parks and Recreation Director
BY: Dave Johnson, Recreation Superintendent
DATE: July 17, 2013
SUBJECT: Preschool Update
ISSUE
Staff update for Community Affairs and Parks Committee on the status of starting Preschool
program.
BACKGROUND
Tukwila Parks and Recreation Department ran a Preschool program for over 20 years, up until
August 2011, when the Pre - School instructor (.5 FTE Recreation Program Assistant) was laid -
off as a result of the City's budget situation.
During the budget process for the 2013 -14 budget, Council requested options for restarting the
Preschool program. At the November 26, 2012 Tukwila City Council Committee of the Whole
meeting, there was council consensus to support staff recommendation of Preschool program
implementation in September 2014 and to include this program in a future budget amendment.
The intent of this memo is to update Community Affairs and Parks Committee of the progress of
that work prior to budget amendments this fall.
DISCUSSION
In starting a new Preschool program, there are a number of things to consider and careful
planning must take place, which takes time. Among the things to consider include, but are not
limited to assessment information for incoming Kindergartners, available program space,
program structure, staffing model, and budget, curriculum development, among others. The
registration period for Preschool programs typically begin in February for programs that begin in
September of the same year. It would have been difficult to carry out this level of planning and
promotion in such a short time frame to begin the program in 2013 when combined with staff's
existing work plan at the time. The following are the current steps in the process:
Assessment Information
Staff met with the Tukwila School District to review their assessment guidelines for incoming
Kindergarteners. Each child should be able to count to 20, recognize numbers, recognize
upper & lower case letters, write their first name, know basic colors & shapes, follow
directions, speak up for themselves when asked questions, and demonstrate social skills.
Over the past couple of years, the District has seen a decline in the number of incoming
Kindergarteners that are able to use fine motor skills (cutting & holding pencils) and gross
motor skills (running & jumping) — the types of skills that can be learned through a
Recreation -based early childhood program.
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INFORMATIONAL MEMO
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Program Space
Since the closure of the previous Preschool program, we have re- allocated space at the
Tukwila Community Center (TCC) to be more multi -use and responsive to program
demands. As a result, there has been careful planning to program the Preschool into space
that currently exits at TCC. The new Preschool program will share the Youth Room during
times that our Before & After School program are not using the space.
Program Structure
We are planning for a Preschool program with the following structure:
• 3 -year old class that meets on Tuesday & Thursday from 9:15 — 11:15am. The
maximum enrollment for this class would be 18 participants.
• 4 -year old class that meets on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from noon —
2:30pm. The maximum enrollment for this class would be 20 participants.
• 2 1 -week Summer Camp sessions that would meet Monday — Friday from 9:0Oam —
noon. The Summer Camps would be for 3 and 4 year olds. The maximum
enrollment for each camp would be 18 participants.
Staffing Model
We are proposing to hire 0.5 FTE Recreation Program Assistant with primary duties to
include serving as the lead Preschool Instructor, and plan and prepare for all Preschool
activities and Preschool Summer Camp sessions. We also will have Seasonal Extra Labor
in the classroom to assist the Preschool Instructor during class time. This model maintains
a teacher -to- student ratio of 10:1 or better.
Budget
The estimated costs to run this program on an annual basis includes the instructor and extra
labor wages, benefits, and supply costs. We estimate that these expenditures will be
approximately $43,000 annually (based on 2013 Salary Schedule).
Fee Survey
Staff conducted a fee survey of surrounding Preschool programs that are run through Parks
and Recreation Departments. The results of that survey are as follows:
City Age Days /Wk Hrs /Day Hrs /Wk Fee /Mo.
SeaTac
4/5
3
3
9.00
$ 180
SeaTac
4/5
2
3
6.00
$ 120
SeaTac
3/4
3
2.5
7.50
$ 107
SeaTac
3/4
2
2.5
5.00
$ 100
Burien
4
3
2.5
7.50
$ 115
Burien
3
3
2
6.00
$ 107
Des Moines
3 -5
3
2
6.00
$ 89
Kentridge
3 -5
2
2.5
5.00
$ 100
KM Co -Op
3
2
2.25
4.50
$ 80
KM Co -Op
4
3
2.25
6.75
$ 100
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INFORMATIONAL MEMO
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Fees
At the time that the former Preschool program ceased operation, cost recovery was nearly
100 %. The fees below are proposed options to recover a portion of the direct costs, which
include instructor and extra labor wages, benefits, and supply costs. Based on this, we
estimate the fees would be approximately:
100% Cost Recovery
Axe
Days /Wk Hrs /Dav Hrs /Wk
Fee /Mo.
X Max.
Participants
Revenue
Tukwila
3
2
2
4
$ 80
18
$14,400
Tukwila
4
3
2.5
7.5
$ 130
20
$26,000
Summer Camp
3/4
5
3
15
$ 55
36
$1,980
The fees would be charged monthly for 10 months. The total estimated revenue is
approximately $42,380 based on maximum attendance.
80% Cost Recovery
it
Axe
Days /Wk Hrs /Dav Hrs /Wk
Fee /Mo.
X Max.
Participants
Revenue
Tukwila
3
2
2
4
$ 64
18
$11,520
Tukwila
4
3
2.5
7.5
$ 104
20
$20,800
Summer Camp
3/4
5
3
15
$ 45
36
$1,620
The fees would be charged monthly for 10 months. The total estimated revenue is
approximately $33,842 based on maximum attendance.
60% Cost Recovery
Cit
Axe
Days /Wk Hrs /Day Hrs /Wk
Fee /Mo.
X Max.
Participants
Revenue
Tukwila
3
2
2
4
$ 48
18
$8,640
Tukwila
4
3
2.5
7.5
$ 78
20
$15,600
Summer Camp
3/4
5
3
15
$ 33
36
$1,188
The fees would be charged monthly for 10 months. The total estimated revenue is
approximately $25,381 based on maximum attendance.
Timeline
We are working toward the following timeline:
August 2013 Finalize Program Format and Set Fees
October 2013 Advertise for Instructor
January 2014 Hire Date
February 2014 Open House & Registration begins
September 15, 2014 First day of Preschool
May 29, 2015 Last day of Preschool
FINANCIAL IMPACT
$43,000 - A budget amendment request will be forthcoming through the 2014 General Fund
budget process.
RECOMMENDATION
No recommendation required at this time. A budget amendment request will come forward
through the formal budget process.
ATTACHMENTS
None
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