Panel Expresses Doubts About Fees Earmarked for Child Care

TORRANCE — A city committee examining options for day care for the children of city employees ran into stiff questioning at a City Council meeting last week after its chairman said she doubted that fees could meet all the expenses of a day-care program.

“I don’t want to see the city get involved in a subsidized program,” said Councilman Bill Applegate. Applegate also said it might be difficult or impossible to obtain liability insurance.

The committee, dubbed the Child Care Study Team, presented a progress report after four months’ study. The council voted unanimously for the committee to continue its work and present a detailed recommendation April 30.

Committee Chairman Lael Walz, a supervisor in the Parks and Recreation Department, responded to Applegate by saying the financing of day care might involve subsidies from large corporations also seeking convenient child care for their employees.

Options the committee is studying range from a resource and referral service run by the city to a day-care center staffed and operated by city employees.