District 65 Board To Consider Closing

Tom HaydenJanuary 25, 20253 min read

For the past seven years, District 65 has offered a summer childcare program at Lincoln Elementary (SACC). I’ve sent my own kid to this program and tell anyone who will listen that it is the most well run operation inside of District 65. Most people are unaware this program even exists!

It’s also awesome - they go on trips to the beach, arcades, and do a ton of art activities and watch movies.

Schedule from Last Year

Not once have I picked him up and found a bunch of kids on tablets. The staff is super friendly and the pickup schedule is so helpful for working parents.

It is easily the best deal in town for summer camps (feel free to comment with more options and I’ll update the spreadsheet). On Summer days, I drop my kid off at Lincoln at 9am and can pick him up anytime I want before 6pm (I usually get him around 3pm). They feed the kids breakfast, lunch, and snacks - which they all eat together. It’s also a super diverse group of kids. On Wednesdays, they all go to the beach together.

Working Evanston and Skokie parents will attest that it is hard to find a summer childcare programs. The District claims that the City of Evanston’s programming is a suitable replacement

Many summer programs across the City of Evanston offer students a more structured, traditional summer camp experience. Several city programs have a sliding scale for payment to meet parents/caregivers' individual needs.

The City of Evanston’s Summer programming fills up immediately, literally the morning you’re allowed to register. Even if you can get your kid registered, the equivalent program the City offers for daily childcare (Kid City) is massive, chaotic, and very hard to get into.

Little Beans used to have a decent summer camp for younger kids but they’re closed now. The private schools and the YMCA have summer camps but the cost for an 8 week program is almost double the cost of the City or District 65.

In Monday’s Board meeting, the Board will vote to end or modify this summer program as part of the deficit reduction plan. The options being considered are:

  • Option 1: Modify the Program - Maintain SACC with adjustments including shorter duration (6 weeks), revised hours (8am - 3:30pm), streamlined staffing, capped enrollment, and cost-saving measures.

  • Option 2: End the Program - Eliminate SACC entirely due to its non-academic focus, financial losses, declining enrollment, and availability of alternative summer programs in Evanston.

I am going to speak at the Board Meeting on Monday, partially out of self-interest but also because eliminating this won’t move the needle and will majorly impact at least 60 working families. The District’s own document shows that the total budget on the program is $141,993.31, of which $87,632 was collected via fees, so the net cost was about $54,361. The District paid a consultant to run a survey that cost more than than summer care for 60 working families.

I’d like to offer a third option: if there are 60 kids in the program, just raise the cost of the program for the full summer. Price the program somewhere between the City’s $1,870 for the summer and the YMCA’s ~$3,000 and do a little more outreach. This program is a lifesaver for working parents, especially as many folks are being called back into offices full-time.

The reality is that the alternative programs offered are dwindling, impossible to get into or priced out of reach for most working people.

Please save this. I’ll even help promote!