Teamster members, University employees, and families testified at the UC Regents meeting on Wednesday, March 13, warning the Regents on the tremendous cost the community will pay with the privatization of childcare services at UCSC.
As part of the new Student Housing West project, the administration intends to shut down the current university-run Early Education Services Preschool and Childcare and replace it with a new center run by a private, for-profit childcare provider, Bright Horizons.
The outsourcing of the Child Care Center may lead to:
- doubling of childcare tuition;
- higher child to teacher ratios;
- less accountability to the University community;
- loss of state subsidies for low income families and students;
- lower educational and certification requirements for teachers;
- loss of 50 student jobs and 15 child development center teacher positions at the University;
- and lower quality child development centers.