PLACENTIA YORBA LINDA : District to Close Center, Lay Off 16

Declining enrollment in the Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District’s child-care programs is forcing officials to close one child-care center and lay off 16 employees.

The preschool and the before- and after-school child-care program at the former Orchard School in Yorba Linda will close at the end of this school year, officials said.

Orchard School was closed by the district several years ago but has continued to serve as a child-care site. It serves preschoolers throughout the district, as well as students at Glenview Elementary in Anaheim who require before- and after-school child care.

According to Tim Van Eck, assistant superintendent for personnel, enrollment in the district’s 15 child-care programs dropped from 1,700 last year to 1,500 this year.

“The economy delivered a double blow to the program,” Van Eck said. “The demand for child care has dropped as more parents are out of work, and we’ve had less turnover because of the tight job market.”

Trustees decided Tuesday night to lay off 16 child-care workers. The layoffs are not being prompted by looming budget cuts, Van Eck said, but by lack of work. The number of child-care teachers and aides is determined by enrollment figures, and when enrollment drops, staffing needs drop as well.

If enrollment grows in the 1993-94 school year, Van Eck said, the laid-off employees will be rehired, if still available. Employees with the least seniority will receive the layoff notices, which go into effect at the end of the school year.

Van Eck said the district would save about $160,000 a year as a result of the layoffs.