Day Care in Schools (continued)

• Cost effectiveness -- day care centers that operate on school premises after school hours make use of existing facilities that would otherwise stand idle. Hence, these centers can charge parents lower fees than those charged by day care centers that must provide their own facilities.
• Convenience -- when day care is provided at the site where the child attends school, the parents do not need to take time from work to transport their children from school to a day care center.
• Continuity -- the child does not need to adapt to one environment for school and another environment for day care.
• Community relations -- by providing day care services, schools can strengthen their bonds with the community. This factor is especially important in times of declining school enrollment and increasing school costs.

In addition, some districts have used day care centers in selected schools as magnets to promote desegregation. Other districts have taken advantage of school-connected day care centers as a means of providing older students with "hands on" experience in the day care field.

Critics of school involvement in day care point out that teachers may come to resent having outsiders use "their" facilities. Critics also argue that day care provided by the schools or on school property becomes little more than an extension of the school day, instead of offering the child the homelike environment he or she needs after school.

What are the Liabilities a School Incurs When it Becomes Involved in a Day Care?

e extent of a school's legal liabilities depends on the extent of the school's involvement. If the school's involvement is limited to providing the facilities for a day care center (for example, classrooms and playgrounds), then the school's responsibility is probably limited to making sure that those facilities are maintained properly. If the school actually runs the day care center, then, of course, the school is responsible for everything that happens there.

A legal manual by Abby J. Cohen, titled SCHOOL-AGE CHILD CARE: A LEGAL MANUAL FOR SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS, (Wellesley College, 1985) thoroughly discusses the many issues policy-makers and administrators must consider. These matters include liability, special consideration for handicapped children, the question of competition with private day care centers, staffing issues such as training and licensing, and rental and lease options if an outside group operates the center. The manual's appendix includes a model school board policy, sample guidelines for allowing an independent group to operate a center, and a sample lease between the school and an outside group.

Whether the school operates the center or lets an outside group do so, the school should consult with legal counsel before becoming involved in a day care center's operation.

For More Information

Baden, Ruth Kramer, and others. SCHOOL AGE CHILD CARE: AN ACTION MANUAL. Wellesley, Massachusetts: Center for Research on Women, School-Age Child Care Project, Wellesley College, 1982. ED 223 342.