Some parents questioning new before, after-school program at Bullitt County Schools

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Some Bullitt County parents are upset the school district is cutting the YMCA before and after school programs.

Right at School is a new program that Bullitt County Schools will use instead of the YMCA-led programs. The outside organization works with many school districts across the country, but some parents are concerned about the cost along with some negative reviews.

Bullitt County Schools said the most important part of the decision was based on the curriculum offered by Right at School, and not about money.

"I have and will always do what is in the best interest of almost 13,000 students who attend BCPS," said Dr. Jesse Bacon, the district superintendent.

Right at School is a company based in Illinois that brings before and after school programs to districts in almost 20 states. Bullitt County would be the first school district in Kentucky that would adopt the program.

But some parents are concerned. A quick search pulls up 57 reviews that average 2.7 stars. Some reviews say the program is unprofessional and unreliable, and others said they allow predatory behavior.

Some positive reviews say it's the best program for their kids.

"Based on what we can see, it's negative reviews, both from employees and parents that have had children in the program,' said Kayla Cheatham, a parent. "So I feel like if the board had presented it to the parents like these are things that we're considering, so that we would have some kind of information."

Some parents said the school district overcommunicates about many things, but it didn't communication information leading up to the change.

The school district said parents could have learned more about Right at School at a meeting on Feb. 5.

"We get told about everything, but we were not told about this major of a decision, 30-plus years of investing in our children," a parent said at the school board meeting on Monday. "We should have gotten some kind of notification, some kind of input. We're the stakeholders."

The school district said Right at School will increase the number of childcare sites from nine to 12. There will be more flexibility for parents as they can pay for the number of days per week they need care.

Currently the YMCA offers a flat rate per week, according to school officials. There are also discounts if a family has more than one child in the program.

But what the new program will cost families is still unclear.

"There's a lot of contributing factors, but just I feel like things were very sneaky and probably done on purpose because I think that they expected there was going to be some push back," Cheatham said.

Bullitt County Schools said it will receive a revenue share based on Right at School's operating strategy. That covers the facility use and drop-in care in the event the district has any bus issues. Any money left over can be used to help families in need.

In a letter sent to parents, Bacon said Right at School will provide families with more availability for before and after-school care. He said families will have more flexibility in how they utilize the program and services, and won't have to pay for five days a week if it isn't needed.

Bacon also said Right at School services will be less expensive for the vast majority of families and provide even deeper discounts for multiple siblings and economically disadvantaged families. He wrote that Right at School has an embedded curriculum that promotes student choice and embeds foundational literacy practices within standards-aligned lessons through fun, engaging, and hands-on activities. Bacon said the district curriculum team investigated it extensively and the YMCA has no comparison.

Bacon said it is a much-needed service, especially for disadvantaged families to navigate post-pandemic academic challenges. He also wrote to parents the agreement with Right at School will allow the school district to invest more in families who need it the most and allow Bullitt County Schools to continue providing childcare services free of charge to those families who are affected by transportation outages on any given day.

The Right at School Program will have the same operating hours as the current YMCA model and will still be available with increased flexibility on school holidays, NTI/snow days, and all school breaks, according to Bacon.

Blair Downs, the YMCA director of marketing and communications, said in a statement that the YMCA of Greater Louisville has been serving Bullitt County Public Schools as a provider of school-age child care services for more than 30 years.

"Last night, the Bullitt County Board of Education voted to partner with a different provider," Downs said. "While we are disappointed, we respect the decision of the Bullitt County Board of Education to go in a different direction that they feel best serves their community and children. With approximately 900 children participating in our School-Age Child Care and Summer Day Camp programs each year, we hope our positive impact is felt for years to come. We still remain committed to serving Bullitt County through our Youth Sports programs as well as other potential initiatives in the future. We will continue to care for the children currently enrolled in the Bullitt County School-Age Child Care through the remainder of the 23-24 school year, as well as provide YMCA Summer Day Camp programs this summer as originally planned. We will remain in Bullitt County and continue to serve this community every day.”