BUENA PARK : School District OKs Extended Child Care

Before- and after-school child care will be available to all students in the Buena Park School District beginning in September.

In a unanimous decision, the governing board agreed this week to extend the program to both Carl E. Gilbert Elementary and Charles G. Emery Elementary, the two remaining schools without day care.

“It is not even a luxury any more. It is a necessity,” said Ellen Morrison, the district’s child care coordinator.

Morrison said the idea for extended care was developed to help with the problem of latchkey kids. “Our goal is to provide a safe environment for the youngsters so the children do not have to walk to a baby-sitter’s or go home and be by themselves,” she said.

The program will run from 6 a.m. until school begins, and from 11:30 a.m. until 6 p.m. All students in kindergarten through sixth grade are eligible. Each center, which is housed at the specific school, will accommodate up to 45 youngsters.

The program is self-supporting and parents are expected to pay a monthly rate depending on the number of children dents they have attending the center. Although the district does not offer subsidies for low-income families, they are available through outside sources, Morrison said.

For more information about the program, call (714) 522-8412.