SANTA PAULA : Educators to End Child-Care Program

A child-care program subsidized by the Santa Paula Elementary School District will be canceled next month unless enrollment increases, officials said Tuesday.

The Kids Club, an after-school program once operated solely on daily fees, could be discontinued by Oct. 7 because the district can no longer afford to fund it.

At the end of the 1990-91 school year, enrollment in the program had dropped by about 25 fee-paying students, causing a $17,000 year-end deficit, officials said.

The district paid that deficit, but officials said budget constraints will not permit a bailout this year.

“Either the program becomes self-supporting or it doesn’t exist,” Asst. Supt. Randy Chase said. “We can’t afford to support it.”

The district shaved nearly $600,000 from its own budget this year to offset cuts from the state and federal government. It also laid off eight teachers and one principal, Chase said.

To keep the child-care program going, more than $190 in fees will have to be collected daily from parents of about 50 children in the first to fifth grade. The program costs about $35,000 a year to operate, officials said.

The current charge for the program is $4.50 a day, or $6.50 for children who stay late.

A morning program is also available for a nominal charge.

Three classroom aides and an administrator conduct the program in several classrooms within the district.

Kids Club coordinator Patty Z. Ramirez said she was optimistic about the program’s chances of survival, even if past figures look bad.

“Once we are financially on our feet, there shouldn’t be any problem,” said Ramirez, who cited job layoffs and the recession as two reasons enrollment is down.

The Santa Paula Elementary School District, which opened for fall classes Sept. 9, has 3,200 students.