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Parent Victoria Noonan says PlayLab closure shows district funding failures
Summary
Victoria Noonan, a parent and educator, told the board the PlayLab Discovery Center in Rocklin closed because district payments to community providers are late, cited a reported $9 million surplus and questioned whether UPK seat distribution is meeting the whole community's needs.
Victoria Noonan identified herself as a parent and educator and said the PlayLab Discovery Center she worked at in Rocklin is closing "not because educators don't care" but because of "a lack of organization, communication, and support from the district." She told the board that the start-of-year payment schedule for community-based organizations is often delayed and that last year the startup payment did not arrive until late November, forcing the program director to take out a personal loan to cover rent, supplies and wages.
Noonan told the board she is 30 weeks pregnant and will lose her job and paid family leave because the program is closing. She said the district reported a $9,000,000 surplus and that "$250,000 of that was allocated to district-wide furniture replacement," and asked why resources are not being directed to expanding access to early childhood education. Noonan also raised concerns about the distribution of UPK seats, noting that more than 40 yeshiva programs receive UPK services and asking whether publicly funded seats are meeting the needs of the entire community. "This closure is so heartbreaking," she said, adding that children who miss UPK may enter kindergarten "9 to 12 months behind their peers."
