With San Diego Unified School District's Universal Transitional Kindergarten pre-enrollment right around the corner, many private preschool owners are afraid their doors might not be open for much longer.
For the past 10 years, the Children of Life Academy in Chula Vista has welcomed dozens of young kids each year.
“I have served four generations of a family, so families continue to come when they have children,” said Barbara Richardson, the preschool's owner.
Recently, though, the contagious laughs heard in her facility have started to dwindle.
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“When COVID hit, our numbers dropped dramatically," Richardson said. "After COVID, we kind of recuperated a little bit with those numbers, but now, unfortunately, our numbers have dropped again. It's as if COVID has hit us again."
In 2020, the state rolled out Universal TK as part of a two-year kindergarten program that is free to families.
“We do recognize that the cost of daycare is extremely expensive for our families and has a huge impact on them,” said Santos Gonzalez, the director of early learning at the San Diego Unified School District.
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At SDUSD, where early enrollment beings next week, there are 4,800 students enrolled in UTK classrooms; for the upcoming school year, about 300 more seats are being added.
“We love it because, not only are we reaching students and providing them with those educational experiences at an early age, but it's really helping us forge strong relationships with parents in the community, and that's something we really are seeking to do as a district,” Gonzales said.
With so many families moving from private to public offerings, that leaves a hole Richardson said is going to be hard to fill.
“No matter how low our rates are, families have to make a decision," Richardson said. "If they want to pay, they're going to receive quality care here, guaranteed, 100%, and very many schools have closed since UTK has been implemented, businesses that have been existing for 30 years-plus, and they have shut their doors, and that is because we cannot, as private owners, compete against free.”
SDUSD's UTK pre-enrollment window for the 2024-25 school year runs from Jan. 22 through Feb. 2, for kids who turn 4 by Sept. 1.
