Kirkwood to outsource day care, cut staff

Kirkwood Community College will outsource its campus child care center, eliminating 18 jobs, as part of budget cuts.

The Kirkwood Kids Child Care Center will remain at the same location on campus, but it will be outsourced to Waypoint, Kirkwood President Mick Starcevich said today. The change will save Kirkwood an estimated $125,000 in the first year and $150,000 annually after that, he said.

About 18  full-time and part-time staff at the center were notified June 11 of the decision, he said. Their Kirkwood employment runs through Aug. 1, when the three-year contract with Waypoint begins, Starcevich said.

The Kirkwood Kids employees will be the first interviewed by Waypoint for the jobs to staff the center, if the employees so choose, Starcevich said.

“It's a little up in the air about how many of those staff will go over to Waypoint, but I would assume a good number would,” he said. “Anytime you're told you're going to get laid off there's anguish, but hopefully we just need to let the process work, let Waypoint interview, and let things happen in the course of time.”

Kirkwood will pay a $75,000 contract fee to Waypoint in the first year, and $50,000 per year after that. Waypoint also will keep any revenue from the day care center.

Starcevich told Kirkwood faculty and staff in January during a campus speech that officials were looking at several areas for outsourcing and privatizing as part of budget cuts. One of those areas was the day care center. A second area, which he declined to identify Tuesday, is still being considered for outsourcing, he said.

Kirkwood officials have been for months working to cut a total of $3.5 million by the end of fiscal 2011, which begins July 1, due to state funding cuts.

Kirkwood opened its first child care program in 1976. The current Kirkwood Kids center opened on campus in 1991, with a capacity to serve 111 children.  The center serves the children of Kirkwood students, faculty and staff as well as community families.