Hi Barbara,
Thank you for taking the time to respond to my email. When my wife first received the 2007 summer camp registration form and noticed the drastic increase from the previous year, she contacted Community Services staff right away. Community Services staff did not inform my wife that the fee increase would be discussed at a City Council Meeting in a week. Staff has my wife's email address and phone number and no one from Community Services contacted her. Two of my wife's coworkers who also utilized the wonderful summer program last year were also not informed of the City Council Meeting. Staff also has their phone number and email addresses. Staff has every participating parents email address, but none of us received a group email notifying us of the upcoming meeting. I do not normally walk by the Council Chambers, nor do I have the time to. I also do not know many full time working parents who have time to look for legal advertising on a daily basis that interest them. ie. One would not check the obituaries for a classmate on a daily basis for funeral services unless they heard word they had passed away. I do believe staff could have done a better job informing all the parents. Unfortunately, both of my wife's coworkers are not planning to enroll their children in the summer program because of the drastic increase. So I do not think this has been well received by most parents. There are probably great enrollment numbers at this point because, full time working parents who need childcare during the summer have no choice but to enroll their child(ren). Why couldn't the same fee structure of one lump sum continue as it has in the past? If you are looking to better staff for children's needs, a survey of parents drop off and pick up and times could have been assessed. If you are trying to prevent parents from paying extra fees to better serve the parents, the 2 tier system base fee should have been reduced and then the extended hours fee should be assessed at that point. Once again, I am not against reasonable fee increases of $100-$300 dollars, but a 40% increase of over $500 for both sessions is outrageous, especially since the City will already be getting more money from the residents with the utility fee increase. I also want City Council to know how valuable all the winter, spring, and summer camp programs are to full time working parents. Staff is awesome and I am happy that it is still a City run program. Thank you for taking the time to listen to my concerns.
Donnie Sample
Parent

Dear Mr. Sample:
The City Manager asked that I respond to your e-mail to City Council members of March 21, 2007. Your message mentioned a concern about the amount of outreach staff provided in regards to the fee increase proposals. City staff took the following steps to help get the word out about the proposed fee increase:
· The Council agenda was in the local newspaper
· The agenda was posted on the City website
· The agenda was posted on the bulletin boards in front of the Council Chambers
· Summer fliers (with the proposed fees) were distributed to program participants and placed in the Recreation Center and the Menlo Children’s Center
· City staff discussed the proposed fee increases and restructuring with several parents
Camps compared were all different types of camps, including public camps. In the fee schedule, the public camp was Palo Alto’s. The program change, including the hours of operation, was not done to hide increases. It was based on previous years' participation and in response to parent comments. During the past few years' staff noted that many parents arrived early to pick up children and many enrolled their children in extra curricular activities throughout the week. By offering a shorter day with an option for extended care, staff is better able to determine staffing levels and reduce the disruption to programming caused by early pickups and escorting of children to classes. It is hoped that the more structured program in the morning will be more exciting for children and more tailored to their interests. It may also eliminate the "extra fees" parents’ pay that is associated with enrollment in special classes. The changes to the program have been well received by parents. As of March 20, 2007, the summer program was 70% filled for both camp sessions and the extended care enrollment was at approximately 50%.
  
I hope this information will provide you with a better understanding of the summer program and the new structure. Thank you for taking the time to inform the City of your concerns.
Sincerely,
Barbara Santos George

Barbara Santos George
Director of Community Services
City of Menlo Park
701 Laurel Street
Menlo Park, CA 94025-3469
bgeorge@menlopark.org
(650) 330-2207
"Creating Community in Menlo Park through People, Parks and Programs"
Received on Sun Apr 1 10:20:46 2007