Program
The city of Los Altos has been running its Tiny Tots preschool program for over fifty years. It consists of Playschool for 3-4 year olds and Kinder Prep for 4-5 year olds, and the Lunch and Play afterschool care program.
Info
- The city intends to replace the Tiny Tots program with a program run by Children's Corner, an existing local preschool.
- The proposal would rent the existing preschool facilities to Children's Corner for $30,000/yr. That amount is far below market rates. E.g. Children's Corner paid $182,392 last year for their existing space. A major reason Tiny Tots was affordable is because the city already owns the building and the program got free use of it, but now tuition will go up by nearly 4x while a private entity reaps all of the benefits. How do we know this no-strings-attached handout doesn't just go towards increasing administrator salaries rather than benefiting the community?
- City residents may lose all access to the San Antonio Club and no longer be able to utilize it in ways that they have in the past such as renting it out for birthday parties.
- The city is cancelling the current program due to its cost. However, costs spiked only this past year due to poor decisions by the city. Spending on the program did not break six figures in years past. Revenue dropped by 44% between 2023 and 2024 as the city eliminated 5 day/week Playschool and moved the program to 3 days/week. No corrective action was attempted and tuition has not been raised in over a decade.
- The city met with parents only after the Request for Proposals was released and did not inform or consult with the Parks & Rec commission.
- The city's current programs operate with different licensing than the program run by Children's Corner meaning teachers will not be able to keep their jobs. As reported in The Talon, teachers were informed they'd be losing their jobs at their Christmas party.
- The Tiny Tots program currently costs residents about $4,000/yr for 5 day/week attendance inline with what Mountain View, Sunnyvale, and Cupertino charge. Children's Corner costs roughly $15,000/yr.
- The program helps the city attract and retain residents and employees with multiple city employees currently having a child enrolled in the program.
Press
LETTER
PETITION TO THE CITY MANAGER
AND CITY COUNCIL OF LOS ALTOS
Read the letter and petition signed by roughly 150 local residents.