OCC Children's Center Closure: Letter to the Board

Letter written to the Coast Community College District Board Members regarding the OCC Children's Center:

My name is Claire Smith, a concerned parent over the shuttering of the Harry and Grace Steele Children’s Center. It’s taken me a few days to write this, to get past the initial shock of the announcement, sent with such abrupt, confusing, and insensitive messaging.

I have been devastated on many levels. And I’d like to share with you exactly why - why this Center matters so much and why this decision is absolutely heartbreaking.

Of course, every family has their own story. And many of our stories will overlap as there are so many things to cherish about this school. And I know you’ve already received hundreds of anecdotal emails from parents who are as equally upset as I am, calling for a reversal of this decision. To which I also know have been sent back generic responses with a promise to “take things under consideration in the future,” or worse - that it was a “difficult decision” but had to be made.

How difficult was it really though, without actually speaking with the teachers, staff, parents, and children that this will actually affect?

I currently have two children at the Center, and I could go on and on about how much they love it there. But the fact that we are there in the first place is why I am writing.

At 8 months old my son had his first anaphylactic event, and before he reached 18 months he had two more. He was tested and diagnosed with life-threatening allergies to over 10 of the most common foods. At that point I believed that I’d never be able to put my child in school, let alone daycare. Keeping him safe in such an environment seemed impossible. So I attempted to be a stay-at-home mom and work from home at the same time. It was killing me, but I felt I didn’t have a choice.

Then I heard about the Harry & Grace Children’s Center and something about it just felt different, so I applied. I anxiously attended the orientation after my son got accepted, looking around at all the ways his life could be at risk on any day, in any moment. Evaluating how attentive the teachers were when I discussed his allergies - could I really trust them to keep my child alive?

Food allergy parents don’t get to relax when their child isn’t with them. It’s the opposite. We stay glued to our phones - just waiting for a call from the caregiver watching them; we ruminate over whether we left clear enough instructions should an allergic reaction occur; we question whether the caregiver has truly heeded our warnings about the severity of the allergies… we are CONSTANTLY on edge.

But what I saw at the Center that day was an overwhelming opportunity for my child to go thrive in the most incredibly engaging environment. So we took the leap, despite our biggest fears. And we were not wrong. Immediately I knew how seriously every person at the school was taking our situation...

The teachers called me after hours, as they were planning activities for the class, to ask if something would be safe for my child to participate in.

They sent me labels and ingredient lists for soap, sunscreen, bird seed - anything that he might come into contact with while at school.

They look up recipes and make special play dough on their own time - not just for him but for the WHOLE class to use, just to ensure his safety.

They text me on their weekends to confirm that an upcoming activity will be okay, or how they can make it safe to include him.

They alert me ahead of time about birthdays and other celebrations so that I can prepare a safe treat for him, so that he does not feel left out.

Staff members email me with information and call me to ensure that entire school-wide events will be safe for him.

They take time out of their demanding schedules to collaborate on his allergy action plan, to understand exactly what to look for and how to administer his medication.

They stop me in the halls to ask me about how his allergy treatment is going, and they are truly interested to learn more about it.

In short, THEY CARE.

I also get pictures - of my child, sitting all by himself at his own lunch table. Eating his own snacks from home while everyone else eats the school-provided snacks together. And as heartbreaking as these pictures are, they fill me with comfort, relief, and actual joy. My son is in a place I can trust. And I trust every single person in that school with his life, every single day that I drop him off.

Can you imagine the burden? They have never made it feel so. They walk around campus with his medication on them at all times. They text me if they notice a single cough. They are as dedicated to his safety as I am. And that gives him the chance to go to school and feel like any other kid, and all the while, I don't worry.

And then, to think about all the other things that they are responsible for in the course of their work day... This is the care and attention they are providing for just ONE child!

Truthfully, I feared that sharing our unique experience could do more harm than good. That it could be used as an excuse to say, “Well, that’s just an exception, it’s not like every student had/will have that experience,” etc. Or perhaps, that this particular story isn’t “worth” as much as others.

But to my family, it’s worth everything. And it shows not just what taking away this school does to us, but what truly wonderful people you are taking away from the entire community. How you are stripping away the opportunity to positively affect countless other lives with the dedication, love, and skill that these educators have to offer.   

And that’s why we are all outraged, demanding better. This isn’t just a daycare. It isn’t just a pre-school. It is a family. And we cannot sit back and watch it get treated like some disposable line item on an expense sheet. Especially after the years of budgetary mismanagement lacking any transparency with the Center itself.

WE are willing to do more as parents to keep this Center open. What are YOU willing to do for the kids of this community and the people who have dedicated their lives to supporting them?

I look forward to meeting you at the upcoming Board meeting.

Respectfully,

Claire Smith