Oak Park Unified School District is looking to implement before and after school care programs for the 2018-19 school year. These programs may be offered to students at Medea Creek Middle School, Brookside Elementary School, Red Oak Elementary School and Oak Hills Elementary School.

Nine individuals made up of students, parents and Rancho Simi Recreation and Parks staffers voiced their concerns about the potential competition between the current care program and a district-supported facility at the OPUSD board meeting Oct. 17, 2017. OPUSD superintendent Tony Knight expressed that the possibility of a care program is currently a hypothetical, with options being explored by the school district.

In a statement at the meeting, Knight said that “the district was only looking at starting a discussion and exploring the possibility of a district-operated before and after school program and to not speculate about what the program would look like, but [rather] to wait for some communication from the district.”

Though the district has only recently started looking into a district-managed facility at each school, there is still an existing before and after school club establishment run by the Rancho Simi Recreation and Parks District. The primary motivation for the creation of a district-operated before and after school program is to supplement the education of students in the four participating schools.

“We would like to see a program that provides the following for families that need before and after school care for their children. The program needs to include: enrichment, recreation, art experiences, directed and undirected play, exploration, imagination, technology, homework help, quality nutrition aligned with our program,” Knight wrote to the Talon. “We are looking to build a holistic program where parents feel that their children are not only safe, but also growing and being enriched from the time spent there. We are finding that more and more of our families need this care and we want to make sure it is the best possible.”

Knight said that Oak Park High School students may be able to engage in activities with students at the elementary and middle schools.

“I would like to add that I believe one of our goals will be to utilize high school students in the program to assist with homework and other duties and to even hire our own students to provide a work experience and also enrich this program,” Knight wrote. “We have so many amazing high school students who could make a big difference in this program and also give them a job as there are not too many employers in this area. We want to create an absolutely first-rate program that will serve as a model in this area.”

Administrators of the current care programs at OPUSD Schools are heavily opposed to the creation of this program. RSRPD district manager Larry Peterson outlined the drawbacks to the institution of a district-funded program in a speech at the Oct. 17 board meeting.

“We have each played a very important role in making Oak Park a special place, and we have worked collaboratively all along the way,” Peterson said. “The superintendent’s recommendation is in contravention of this.”

Regardless of whether or not OPUSD implements a district-run care system, the current RSRPD programs will continue running.

Reactions among students were varied, as the implementation of a new district-operated program focused primarily on education could signify a dramatic change in the current care program environment.

“It could be beneficial to some students; however, other [students] might prefer the current after-school program, Teen Club,” MCMS eighth grade student Vidhya Pillai said.

Other students took issue with the exploration of a district-run after school child care, stating that this potential replacement would detract from the relatively leisurely environment Teen Club provides and lead to a solely academically focused atmosphere.

“I think that we should stick with our current after-school program because a district-supervised program is just a tiring and weary extension of the school day,” MCMS eighth grade student Gurbenti Kaur said. “The Teen Club at Medea is there for students to get work done or socialize if their parent isn’t available to pick them up from school. Therefore, the student should have complete freedom to do what they want during their own time.”