The Issue
What We're Fighting
Orange Coast College announced plans to make significant program cuts effective July 1, 2025, eliminating infant, toddler, and pre-k classes while retaining only 2 preschool classrooms. This plan to downsize the Children’s Center would result in a ~$300K+ annual deficit, with a shortfall projected into the foreseeable future.
What’s happening at the Children’s Center is just one of many examples of the threat against publicly funded early childhood education and childcare across the nation. Children are not to be treated as commodities. They are our future.
10,000
Lives Touched
Every Hand Helps Us Grow
500
Volunteers
Uniting Hearts and Actions
250
Projects Completed
Milestones of Hope and Change
A Better
Solution
How We Got Here
2005-2017
Stability
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Children's Center Program Director kept the Children’s Center financially stable.
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Program Director retired, leaving behind a 5-year plan for maintaining financial health and profitability at the Children's Center, which was given to New Director.
2017-2021
Mismanagement
Zero oversight over New Director's actions and the Children's Center budget resulted in the following:
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The Center was notified in May 2020 that it was in a $500,000 deficit, without prior warning or any indication that it would be at risk for reducing services
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$500,000 was then borrowed from Associated Students of OCC to cover the above deficit
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The Children's Center has not been able to pay that debt back, nor meet its minimum threshold (in large part due to COVID-era class size restrictions)
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Director got rid of Title V, which provided $500,000 annually in critical funding, covering some childcare and teacher/staff salaries
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Title 22 was obtained, which DOES NOT PROVIDE FUNDING, but instead allows wider student to teacher ratios (and less hourly staff)
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Fundraising efforts suggested by the Parent Advisory Committee and Staff at the Children's Center were denied
2021-2025
Negligence
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Another new Director took over operations of the Children's Center, but all attempts to increase funding to the Center were rejected by Orange Coast College Student Services Management.
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An audit conducted of the Children's Center revealed the financial downfall and provided distinct directives to bring the Center back to stability
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The recommendations were ignored, wasting years of taxpayer dollars
2025 (now)
Disgrace
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VP of Student Services at OCC announces layoffs and classroom closures at Children's Center
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Numerous requests to obtain financial records, current deficit, and balance sheet were ignored
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Discussions with Board Members directed parents and Center staff to come up with a business proposal to fix the deficit
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Such proposal was created but CCCD Board of Trustees votes to approve layoffs despite being presented with yet another plan for sustained profitability
