Nahant continues to rectify childcare program

NAHANT – The district is still trying to get a handle on the after school childcare program operating out of Johnson Elementary School.Recently the program, which was sanctioned by the School Committee almost a decade ago, came under scrutiny because it could meet its payroll without assistance from the town. Now parents are questioning how the program could exist for almost a decade without a license from the state.”The program isn’t licensed as an extended day program,” said one parent, who asked not to be identified. “It isn’t licensed as a childcare program. There isn’t any oversight and no one seems to know why.”Superintendent Joe Lisi, who is retiring June 30, said the financial portion of the operation is being straightened out but he also admits there are a lot of questions regarding the program itself.Attempts to reach Barbara Deines, who runs the after school and summer program, were unsuccessful Tuesday but in earlier interviews she admitted the program, which is supposed to be self-supporting, has financial difficulties and needed money from the town to cover some of its costs, including her medical insurance. Deines works 24 hours a week and has four other employees, each who work 17 hours a week.”We have turned the corner in terms of finances,” Lisi said. “The program is fully aware it needs to be self supporting.”But Lisi added the program is not licensed as an extended day program by the state Department of Education and it is not licensed as a childcare provider.”It has never been a well defined program,” he said. “The initial concerns were finances and now we’re trying to define the program. We know what it’s not but we don’t know what it is.”Lisi said state regulations differ depending on the type of program.”There are licensing provisions any time you go beyond the traditional school day,” he said. “There appear to be different licensing standards for extended day programs and childcare programs but licensing is required.”On the plus side, Lisi said all staff members, with the exception of the program director, are employees of the school district.”There is no question the program has the right people staffing it,” he said. “It has all the right ingredients and it provided a terrific service to working parents.”Lisi admitted there has been little regulation or oversight of the program in the past but he said that is changing.”We created a job description for director,” Lisi said. “We established an advisory committee and are moving forward. I will make a recommendation regarding the program to the new superintendent (who starts July 1).”