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r- DEC 15 <br />ons <br />BooK 88 F, GF 292 <br />Gipson must call on the telephone to see when they will be picked <br />up. She stated that the PTA is prepared to get involved so that <br />the program is not free play but will be structured guidance for <br />the children and not just free play. Vero Beach Elementary has <br />single -parent teachers who are eager to work in this program and <br />get the extra money. <br />William Koolage, concerned citizen, described himself as an <br />irate citizen. He pointed out that the Commission appropriated <br />$10,000 for literature on environmentally sensitive land, and in <br />this instance we are talking about environmentally sensitive <br />children. He urged the Board to support this after-school program <br />for all children. <br />Lenora Quimby, owner of For Kids Only day care center, asked <br />for clarification of the issue being addressed by the Board. <br />Commissioner Bird explained that there is a recommendation <br />from the Parks & Recreation Committee to expand the after-school <br />program to Vero Beach, Glendale, Rosewood, and Beachland Elementary <br />Schools. <br />Ms. Quimby stated that the day care industry is not interested <br />in closing the after-school program but rather in helping to <br />provide services to low-income, latch -key children. At the same <br />time the day care center owners are interested in providing for <br />their own families. She cited figures on the numbers of children <br />in the community and the numbers of children being serviced by day <br />care centers. She stressed that the day care industry wants to <br />cooperate with the Commission and the schools. She opposed adding <br />Glendale, Rosewood and Beachland schools to the program because <br />they did not request to be added. Adding these schools to the <br />program five months into the school year will have a negative <br />effect on the day care centers that provide after-school services <br />for students at those three schools. Ms. Quimby pointed out that <br />she would not have purchased a new bus if she knew that these <br />schools would be included in the after-school program and cause her <br />to lose some children to the after-school program. Ms. Quimby <br />cited the estimated lost revenue to day care businesses and lost <br />revenue to the County. She stressed that this is not the time to <br />be taking anything out of our economy and away from small <br />businesses. Ms. Quimby suggested one option of charging <br />competitive rates for the after-school program to put the day care <br />centers on a level playing field with the County's after-school <br />program. A second option could be to request bids to see what the <br />private sector has to offer. A third option would be to continue <br />bussing the children from these schools to other schools where the <br />program has been in operation since the beginning of -the school <br />26 <br />