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Antioch approves full refunds for preschool families, moves ahead with DCFS licensing consultant for Camp Cran
Summary
The Antioch board approved a resolution to refund the 2024–2025 school year to affected Camp Cran/preschool families and authorized staff to pursue a consultant to seek a DCFS licensing exemption for Camp Cran and summer camps. Parents and trustees debated cutoff dates and options for forward charges.
The Village of Antioch voted to provide full refunds for the 2024–2025 preschool/camp year to families affected by recent regulatory lapses and to waive charges for families already enrolled through the remainder of the school year. The board also signaled approval for a consultant to research and pursue an Illinois DCFS (Department of Children and Family Services) licensing exemption for Camp Cran and related summer programs.
The vote on a refunds resolution followed a lengthy public and staff discussion about how to calculate refunds and what, if any, fees should continue for families who choose to participate for the rest of the year. On the approved resolution, families who want a refund must submit a request to the village and sign a waiver; trustees also voted that no new enrollments will be accepted for the remainder of the year. The resolution passed on a roll call vote (five yes, motion carries).
Why it matters: Parents and trustees said the village must be consistent, fair to families and teachers, and transparent about financial impacts. Staff warned that payment records are fragmented and will require finance to reconcile payment schedules before exact dollar refunds can be calculated.
Trustees and staff described the two parallel steps the village will take. First, the board instructed the administration to finalize and sign a consultancy agreement with The Child Development Consultant Group to prepare a feasibility study and to act as the village liaison to DCFS. The consultant’s proposal, as discussed in the meeting, included a total compensation figure cited around $3,500 and a timeline in which the consultant would complete the feasibility study and submit an application on the village’s behalf shortly after signing.
Second, the board adopted specific refund mechanics. Staff advised trustees that early, rough revenue figures for the preschool program were ‘‘in the neighborhood of $60,000’’ (staff caveated that payment tracking is largely paper-based and a full reconciliation is required). Trustees debated possible cut-off dates for refund calculations (January 1 versus December 31) and options for future charges for families who continue attending (examples included prorated daily rates, a 50% reduced fee, or no fee for the rest of the year); the approved resolution implements a full refund for the 2024–2025 year and waives fees for currently enrolled families while barring new enrollments.
Parents and teachers pressed the board in public comment. Samantha Harris, a parent, said, “I have two children in the program … I am willing to pay something to still take my child,” and urged the board to show support for teachers while making refunds and next steps clear.
What happens next: Staff will present a written proposal and formal contract language for the consultancy agreement on the regular agenda at the next meeting and will prepare the exhibit and process for administering refunds (requests and waivers) as directed by the board. Finance staff will reconcile payment records to calculate exact refund amounts before payments are issued.
The board emphasized the dual goals of ensuring children’s programming continues where appropriate and holding the village accountable for regulatory oversights that prompted the refunds decision.
