Parent warns UPK changes will worsen childcare access, disrupt continuity for children

A parent who identified herself as a Watertown resident told the board during public comment that recent changes to the district's universal pre-K (UPK) system create significant hardships for working families and destabilize early learning for children.

"These changes limit access for many families, disrupting consistency for children and creating unnecessary burdens on working parents," the commenter said, describing a child who had attended the same daycare since infancy but was forced into a UPK lottery and did not receive a seat at that site. She said an offered alternative ended at 1 p.m. and provided no wraparound care, which she called impossible for full‑time working parents.

The parent urged the board to reconsider the structure of UPK in the district, saying reductions in community‑based organization (CBO) seats were particularly harmful. She recounted reading that a provider's approximate 70 UPK seats had been reduced to about 15 and said the change would leave dozens of children without access. She tied the loss of seats to longer‑term educational consequences, arguing that children denied early access will arrive at kindergarten less prepared.

The board did not respond during the meeting; the district's public comment policy, read earlier, notes that board members generally do not reply during the same session. No action on UPK was taken at the meeting. The superintendent and other administrators previously discussed UPK scheduling and program partnerships in separate planning sessions referenced in prior board materials.

The parent called on the board to make UPK "accessible, equitable, and support both families and children," and warned that limiting seats undermines the universal program's purpose.

No formal motion or vote addressing UPK changes occurred during the meeting. The comment was recorded as part of the non‑agenda public comment period and will be part of the meeting record.