SEATTLE — Child care centers are bracing for a school delay announced by Seattle Public Schools (SPS) as teacher contract negotiations continue amid what should have been the first day of classes for thousands of students in Seattle.
Preschool and after-school programs like Launch, based in Seattle with several locations throughout the city, have been preparing for such a scenario.
"I started making contingency plans last week in anticipation of a potential strike," Launch Chief Program and Strategy Officer Laura Nicholson said.
Nicholson said to pivot short-term, Launch is shifting some after-school programs an hour earlier, including a 12 to 5 p.m. slot and a 1 to 6 p.m. slot to accommodate families.
"Knowing that's not totally going to help full-time working families but at least being able to provide something," Nicholson said.
Launch, like other child care centers, has been dealing with its own staffing strains related to the pandemic. SPS, in its letter to families, said it is working with community child care centers during the delays.
Nicholson said space is in short supply.
"Our ability to offer a full-day program for families is going to be severely limited," Nicholson said.
Despite that, Nicholson said she supports the needs of SPS teachers who are now prepared to picket on Wednesday.
"We're seeing the same thing in child care and in our preschool program," Nicholson said.
The Seattle Education Association, the union representing 6,000 SPS teachers, has been negotiating a new contract with SPS since June. Among their asks are better support for special education and multilingual programs, better pay for the lowest-paid staff, and more manageable caseloads.