These upcoming changes to the HCPS Child Care Services operations were made public when discussed at the January 11, 2021 school board meeting. Additionally, a letter explicitly communicating these changes was sent directly to families who use the HCPS Child Care Services on Friday, Jan. 22.
Beginning March 1, reservations in HCPS Child Care programs must be made on a weekly, instead of day-to-day, basis – which is the industry standard for the majority of child care providers in our area. Reservations for care, along with payments, will be due the Friday prior to the week of Child Care desired. Drop-in care will not be provided.
In order to continue providing the level of care our families expect and deserve, and to more efficiently plan staff scheduling and child nutrition needs each week, current weekly Child Care rates will remain the same, but on a pay-per-week schedule.
Please see the Weekly Fee Schedules on the new Child Care: Registration & Weekly Fees webpage.
School weeks with Early Dismissal days or Teacher Workdays will result in a total weekly cost that reflects the number of “regular” days and unique “Early Dismissal” or “Teacher Workday” per-day rates, based on the hours of care (PSAM, PSPM, or both) reserved for each child. Families wishing to use PLUS care on Teacher Workdays must reserve and pay at the site they are wishing to use on the Teacher Workday.
To see this fee schedule applied to the current school calendar, you can reference the 2021 Child Care Services Fee Calendar for weekly breakdowns.
Why the change?
The HCPS Child Care Services’ 13 program sites are some of the highest-rated in Henderson County, earning 4- and 5-star ratings from the North Carolina Division of Child Development Early Education and the Department of Human Resources. Our dedicated staff takes pride in providing high quality, reliable care to children of working families in our community. The programs operate on a self-sufficient basis, meaning HCPS sees Child Care as a service to the community rather than simply an enterprise program.
Rates have remained the same for over a decade (2005-2017), and only increased minimally in the past few years to provide the necessary revenue to pay staff salaries and purchase supplies. The Child Care program has run at a deficit the last two years and is no longer sustainable under its current model. Therefore, HCPS will be making small adjustments to help offset the losses sustained.
The HCPS Child Care Services staff thanks its loyal families for their continued support throughout the years. For more information about the PSAM, PSPM, and PLUS programs, check out the updated Child Care: Program Overview webpage. Families with questions may call the HCPS Child Care Services program at (828) 891-2363.
