The February presentation on the Bloomin’ Infant and Toddler program noted a current loss in this program of $356k. Reviewing the data provided, there are ways to substantially reduce or even eliminate this deficit. Money is being left on the table. There are empty spots in classrooms with extensive waiting lists. This program should be full. Filling all 5 classrooms of 8 for year-round enrollment, for 47 weeks would result in revenue of $564k, more than $181k difference, and this is including reduced revenue from the 5 children of employees who get a 50% discount on tuition. In addition to unfilled classrooms, sibling discounts are being credited to infant/toddler care rather than the older sibling. No business offers the discount on the higher priced item.

If you add in the opportunity to allow children to age up classrooms at the semester break in January in addition to September and June, this would fill empty spots in the 2s and 3s classes, potentially increasing revenue by $36k with no increase in staffing, while also being a win for families who get lower priced care on kids who are eligible, and making room for those on the waitlist for infant and toddler care sooner. It is a win-win-win, and brings revenue above $600k, and the deficit below $140k before any increase in tuition.

Let’s talk about inflation. Childcare costs have increased nationally about 13% since 2023, but my tuition has gone up $10/week or 3%. And 13% is a real number. Comparing the 2 other places only a few miles away that we considered both with our 4 year old when she was a toddler a few years ago and our infant now, prices have risen 13.7% and 21.9% at those 2 facilities. This inflation adjustment would bring the price from $320 to $350/week, or about $16,500/year for 9 hours a day. This would bring revenue up to $654k, just under an $85k deficit. To get to zero deficit, you may need to further increase tuition for a total cost of $399/week or $18,750/year.

This seems like a lot, and it is. Thanks to the closure of the program, my infant daughter will be transitioning to care in June that will cost me $19,968 per year, and I have not found a cheaper licensed option in this area. Birmingham Schools offers a toddler program, and the cost for 8.5 hours of care comes to over $20,000 annually for 5 days a week. Multiple other places in the area we toured are charging around $25,000 and up to as high as $30,000 per year, many for lower quality care than Bloomin’. If there is concern about equity, lets do income based tuition, not cut teachers’ access to affordable early childhood education.

Other opportunities for further increase in revenue include infants and toddlers who are enrolled for more than 9 hours, staffing classrooms to 12 per class, increasing tuition for non-residents and continuous age-up.

You have the power to vote to continue this valuable program in a fiscally responsible manner. Use that power! Thank you for your time and consideration.