PLACENTIA : Schools Add Funds for Child Care Study

School board members agreed to chip in an extra $6,000 for a proposed study of child care needs in Placentia and Yorba Linda.

Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District trustees voted 3 to 2 earlier this week to increase the board’s funding to $8,000. The district had already pledged $2,000 from a contribution it expected to receive from a local service organization. However, the contribution is still pending.

Supporters say the $28,000 study, to be done by an Irvine-based child care consultant, will determine which sectors of both communities have the greatest need for child care.

In addition, the study will help both cities and the school district receive grants from government agencies and contributions from the private sector, said Connie Haddad, who chairs the Placentia-Yorba Linda Child Care Task Force.

“The better the plan, the more money. The better the data, the better the plan,” Haddad said.

Congress recently passed a federal child care bill that will provide states with additional funds for child care, Haddad said. Orange County could get a $7-million share, and the study could help convince county officials of the need in the Placentia and Yorba Linda area, she said.

“Information, at least in this case, is a good defense,” said trustee William Kielty. “I feel this is a small price to pay.”

The city of Placentia has agreed to contribute $10,000 toward the study. The Yorba Linda City Council refused to give an additional $10,000, but agreed to reconsider its decision after it approved its 1991-92 budget. Haddad said she plans to go back to the City Council in the next few weeks.