Some of you may have questions concerning the letter that went home this week.
What is the PDO (Parents Day Out) Ruling?
The Attorney General for the state of Tennessee issued a ruling that church sponsored preschools in Tennessee that were not certified by the state of Tennessee could only operate two days per week. As a result of the response from this ruling by communities, DHS has tried to work toward a compromise and has sent out a state-wide survey to PDO programs.
When does this go into effect?
July, 2013
Whom does it affect?
Many of the churches in Tennessee operate PDO's without being certified by the state. Some churches have a part of their program certified (i.e. Pre-K). Some churches are officially licensed by the state of Tennessee; most, however, only certify a percentage of their classrooms.
How does this my affect my registration for Fall 2013?
We have been advised by local legislators that they are working to resolve the issue. They have been in contact with the governor and attorney general and both are aware of the economic consequences of shutting down church-led preschools across the state - both through jobs and through providing affordable part-time childcare for parents. Therefore, we plan to proceed as usual registering both programs for Fall 2013.
What if I register and give you my check, and you are unable to have two programs?
Our plan is to register in January and at that time also request the registration/supply fee. Those who register for Tues/Thurs will have their check deposited and will be placed in class according to date submitted. After January 20th, we will begin placing children from the community in order of application date. Those who register for Mon/Wed will have their checks held until official notification from the state. That could be as early as February or as late as the first of April. We will not deposit a check unless we can guarantee you placement at Shining Light.
What if too many people sign up for Tues/Thurs?
Registration forms for 2013-14 will be available online at www.franklinchristianchurch.com on January 2nd, 2013. We encourage you to mail your form in to us. We return for second semester January 9th. It will be first-come, first-served until January 20th. On January 21st, we will open up registration to the community. If Tues/Thurs becomes full before then, we will place on waiting list but will not deposit your check.
What can I do as a concerned parent needing part-time childcare?
I would encourage you to contact via e-mail or mail the legislators that were listed on the letter that went home this week. I would emphasize the need as a constituent for affordable part-time childcare that meets the guidelines of a PDO program. In a nutshell, the argument we've made is that if we are "safe" enough for children two days per week, why are we not "safe" enough for children two other days per week? We are meeting PDO rules by not allowing any individual child on site more than 12 hours per week as many of you know who have requested more days and have been turned down!
How soon will I know the outcome of the ruling and how it affects my registration?
We will keep you informed as we find out news. The earliest will be sometime in February. The latest will be the end of March. As soon as we know that we can continue as usual, we will inform parents. We fully expect that the state will work with us. When you consider the number of churches in the state of Tennessee who have this type program, and the number of jobs lost, the head-start education provided, and the number of concerned parents scrambling for child-care, we think this matter will be resolved to our benefit.
