Rochester board votes 4-3 to end infant and toddler care at Caring Steps, asks administration for business plan

The Rochester Community Schools Board of Education voted 4–3 on March 17 to discontinue infant and toddler rooms at the district'run Caring Steps Child Center effective July 30, 2025. Trustees also asked administration to produce a detailed business plan and staffing recommendations for a reconfigured early‑childhood program by May 14, 2025.

Board members heard a 40‑minute staff presentation and community testimony before the vote. Superintendent Russo and district staff outlined seven years of shortfalls at Caring Steps, a director vacancy that has lasted more than a year and a set of financial scenarios showing which combinations of pay, staffing model and tuition would break even or produce a deficit.

The board was shown a previously approved budget amendment transferring $265,904 from the general fund to support Caring Steps operations for the remainder of the fiscal year. District staff noted that federal Child Care Stabilization grants and other temporary supports helped the program approach profitability at times but that projected financial results had not been met. A community survey conducted in May 2024 was presented to show family preferences on meal service, hours and full‑time enrollment.

District fiscal staff and administrators described the options analyzed: keep Caring Steps as a third‑party‑staffed center with modest pay increases; increase wages substantially; or convert center employees to Rochester Community Schools (RCS) direct hires and raise tuition. The presentation included modeled outcomes for each option and the tuition increase that would be needed to reach break‑even under those assumptions. For example, a full direct‑hire conversion with higher competitive wages would have required a projected tuition increase of roughly 22.4% to approach break‑even in the district'prepared models, while smaller wage adjustments paired with continued third‑party staffing produced more modest tuition needs but offered less assurance of solving the staffing shortage.

Parents and staff addressed the board during public comment. Richard Berger, who identified himself as a parent of two children enrolled in Caring Steps, urged the board to keep the center open and consider modest tuition increases rather than eliminating services: “Caring Steps is more than just a daycare. It is a foundation for early education and a direct feeder into the RCS school district.” Jessica Renick, a parent and current Caring Steps customer, urged officials to value the program''s educational return: “If the district is concerned about the education occurring at Caring Steps to be wasteful, please consider that a child's brain absorbs the most before they even start kindergarten.” Several staff members at the center also described long wait lists and daily calls from families seeking openings.

Administrators recommended, and trustees debated, a narrower approach rather than immediate full closure: discontinue the infant and toddler rooms while preserving preschool‑age services and examining whether the facility could be used for Great Start Readiness Program (GSRP) or expanded preschool operations. Board members raised competing priorities: some trustees said the district should preserve early‑childhood services and invest to make them sustainable; others said seven years of shortfalls and persistent staffing problems made continued subsidy of infant/toddler care unsustainable.

After discussion, the board approved the motion to discontinue infant and toddler rooms by July 30, 2025 (4–3). Trustees immediately passed a separate motion directing administration to return with recommendations by May 14, 2025 that address: leadership for the Caring Steps program; pay and staffing options intended to reduce the waiting list; a business plan that shows break‑even costs (including scenarios and required tuition changes); and the impact of any proposed reconfiguration on current staff and other programs housed in the Caring Steps facility. That second motion passed 6–0 with one abstention.

What happens next: district staff said they will analyze the master property plan and consult licensing requirements before recommending specific classroom uses or staffing models. The May 14 deliverable was requested so the board can review options ahead of budget decisions for the 2025–26 school year. Families and staff who spoke at the meeting asked for prompt, clear communication about timelines and any opportunities for staff reassignment or retention incentives during the transition.

Votes on Caring Steps and the ask for a business plan were the most consequential actions of the evening; other agenda items that drew votes included consent agenda approvals, a contract award for building repairs, and policy updates. Administration noted that Early On early‑intervention services for ages 0–3 are not part of the closure discussion and will continue to be provided.

The board's direction sets a firm deadline for program changes but leaves multiple options on the table for how the district will use the space and staff in the coming school year.