KENT, CONN.—The Parks and Recreation Commission made budgetary decisions regarding staffing and department restructuring that would precipitate the elimination of the After School Program (ASP) due to low enrollment and high operating costs at their budget meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 13.
This move created uncertainty among affected families about the future availability of after school childcare.
ASP is a municipal program operated by the Parks and Recreation department, overseen by the Parks and Recreation Commission, that provides after school care in Kent for children in kindergarten through eighth grade from 3:15 to 5:30 p.m. on days when school is in session. The program is open to Kent Center School (KCS) students as well as non-KCS students.
“We’re not serving a population that is reliant on the after-school program at this time,” Parks and Recreation Director Matt Frasher said during the meeting.
Families learned about the proposed changes from an article about the meeting published by The Kent Dispatch on Wednesday, Jan. 14.
“There was no prior communication or outreach to high-use families,” said Kent resident Ginger Blake in an interview with The Kent Dispatch on Sunday, Jan. 18, noting that her first grader attends ASP every day.
Blake and her husband purchased a home in Kent and moved to town with their two children in the summer of 2024. Both the Blakes work full-time jobs. The availability of after-school childcare offered by Parks and Recreation made living in Kent a viable option for their family, providing critical support during work hours.
Frasher spoke with The Kent Dispatch in a phone interview on Wednesday, Jan. 21. He indicated that enrollment has declined over the past several years, stating, “There used to be 90-plus kids enrolled in ASP,” citing information he had been able to glean from town records.
Frasher emailed enrolled families on Sunday, Jan. 18, well after the budget meeting had taken place. The email, obtained by The Kent Dispatch, stated that ASP currently serves less than 10 percent of the KCS population. Fourteen children are enrolled in the program in a school with a population of just over 180. Nine of those children attend ASP more than two days per month and an average of five children attend daily. No non-KCS students are currently enrolled in the program.
The email also stated that the Parks and Recreation department spends about $10,000 on snacks, supplies and crafts, and $23,000 on staff wages annually. This figure excludes Frasher’s salary when he has to step in to cover staffing gaps. Last school year, ASP generated about $10,000 in revenue from 34 enrolled students, indicating the program operates at a deficit.
According to Frasher, the cost to attend ASP had remained flat for a number of years at $12.50 per child per day, with an increase this year to $13 per child per day.
Blake stated in the Jan.18 interview that she and other parents of enrolled students had offered to buy snacks and supplies to help offset costs. She also stated that parents were aware of low enrollment and had previously tried to engage in conversations with Frasher about the viability of the program.
“There was no formal decision to conclude ASP,” Frasher said on Jan. 21. “It’s just the formal motion into the investigation and conversation that we are looking toward that direction,” Frasher elaborated regarding the Commission’s discussion.
According to the meeting minutes, the motion Frasher referenced states, “Motion to accept $52,839.00 on the part-time staff line item with the understanding that would include the future restructuring of the department and to do away with the After School Program.”
In response to learning this information, a group of 34 parents and community members wrote and signed a letter detailing their concerns. The letter was emailed to the Board of Selectmen and Parks and Recreation Commission chairman Rufus DeRham on Tuesday, Jan. 20.
The letter, obtained by The Kent Dispatch, states that ASP, “…provides essential structural support for working families in Kent.”
The letter further states that a decision by the commission to end ASP, “denies our town and families the opportunity for collaborative problem-solving about how to ensure that a stated priority of many residents–attracting and keeping families in our community–is also reflected as a financial priority of the town’s services.”
The letter also expresses frustration from enrolled families about learning of this change through a newspaper article instead of direct communication from the Parks and Recreation department. In the Jan. 21 interview, Frasher stated that discussion of when and how to inform families did take place among commission members at the meeting.
“We are a working family in Kent, and there are not a lot of options for childcare and after school programs that run consistently,” said Joanna Imse in a phone interview on Wednesday, Jan. 21.
Imse and her husband are also full-time working parents to two children who regularly attend ASP.
“It is tricky to navigate. I certainly understand that this is a program that needs additional review,” Imse continued.
“Let’s use this as an opportunity to increase utilization of services rather than eliminate them,” Imse concluded, stating that she hopes that a dynamic and solution-focused discussion can ensue between the commission and community members.
Kent Curiosity Lab
The Commission discussed whether Kent Curiosity Lab (KCL), a Kent-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit whose mission is to provide high-quality enrichment programs to the children of Kent, would step in to fill the gap if ASP was eliminated. Frasher also reiterated this idea during the Jan. 21 phone interview.
“Kent Curiosity Lab is definitely interested in picking up something along the lines of the After School Program. I am in discussion with them about and coaching them through the process on how to take on something like this. They have shown strong indication that this might just be the thing that they start next year and take on fully next year,” Frasher told the Commission at the meeting.
KCL Board president Joanne Wasti spoke with The Kent Dispatch in a phone interview on Friday, Jan. 23. She indicated that while KCL is open to working with Parks and Recreation, it does not currently have the financial or staffing capacity to take over something like ASP.
“The conversation with the Commission has just started,” Wasti said, noting that there are no plans in place at this time.
She also indicated that their primary mission is to provide high-quality enrichment programs for children, not childcare, stating, “We really want to do quality programming for kids. Our emphasis is not just childcare itself.”
KCL currently offers enrichment programs at KCS two days per week from 3:15 to 4:15 p.m., with each day of the week serving a different age group.
“Hopefully going forward we can have enrichment five days per week for different ages. We will need staff for that. We need funds,” Wasti summed up.
Next Meting
The next Parks and Recreation Commission meeting will be held on Tuesday, Feb. 3 at 7 p.m. The public is invited to attend either in person at Town Hall at 41 Kent Green Blvd. in the large first-floor meeting room, or virtually via Zoom.
It’s unfortunate, this isn’t the first time the current Parks and Rec commission seems to misunderstand their role. It’s not to make money for the Town it’s to provide services. Joanne Watsi is absolutely correct. The Kent Curiosity Lab was created to offer enrichment programs not basic child care and they are still getting off the ground. A very irresponsible and poorly thought through decision by the commission and terrible communication. KEEP ASP!