City May Have to Shut Down After-School Child-Care Program

Parents of as many as 60 children may be forced to seek alternative after-school care this fall if the City Council votes Monday to discontinue its Marina Center Child Care Program.

City officials say they may have to shut down the program, perhaps as early as September, because its Marina Center headquarters requires thousands of dollars in repairs to bring it up to state standards.

The costly renovations needed to obtain state licensing, which the facility does not have now, would include replacing the fencing and making restroom modifications, according to a city report. No funds are available for the improvements, officials said.

Mayor Gwen Forsythe said the immediate closure of the child-care program is only one option, however. The city could continue offering services while figuring out how to pay for the repairs, she said, then apply for the license.

“The city has the kids’ best interest in mind,” Forsythe said. “We need to make sure that the kids aren’t displaced and have a place to go.”

City research indicates that after-school programs at McGaugh Elementary School and Los Alamitos Unified School District have space available, but costs to parents are higher, according to city figures.

Seal Beach’s program charges a flat fee of $125 a month, compared to a minimum of $110 at Los Alamitos and $245 a month at McGaugh.

The Marina Center facility’s operating budget comes from the federal Community Development Block Grant program.

If the council votes to close the center, Forsythe said, it will publicize its decision as soon as possible so that parents will have time to find alternative child-care before the first day of school.