Arlington considers charging day cares, preschools to use public parks
ARLINGTON - For private preschools and day cares in Arlington, public parks may soon be a pay-to-play option. The town is proposing to charge fees and to require a permit for regular use of public parks.
"The town has asked us to let them know when we are using it, or how much time we need to use it, then they plan to bill at the end of the month based off your usage. That was the last letter I got from the town," explains Jen Eisenheim, Director of Sunshine Nursery School in Arlington.
The initial proposal could charge locations $3,000 to $5,000 per program with the fees expected to be built into future tuition costs. The result could mean higher costs for parents depending on how much the preschool or day care uses the park.
Arlington Parks and Recreation Director Joe Connelly says they are currently gathering data to see who is utilizing the park and when before making any decisions on fees. The idea is to charge places that use the space, much like they charge youth sports leagues for their usage. Connelly says some preschools and day cares even advertise public parks usage on their websites.
"A lot of schools, where this is their only outdoor space, it puts them in quite a predicament," said Eisenheim. Sunshine Nursery School has its own private outdoor playground, "We used [a local park] quite a bit during COVID. The town encouraged us to reserve time because there were so many organizations asking for time."
In a commission meeting from 2023, Parks and Recreation claims to have received numerous complaints from residents about overuse of the space, and that the extra usage was leading to more wear and tear costs for the city. Connelly says the fees will only apply to schools that use the park space regularly, not for occasional use.
Since Sunshine Nursery has its own private playground, Eisenheim understands the cost to maintain proper regulations and upkeep.
"It is expensive to keep the place safe to play, but it is more just the surprise of it all," said Eisenheim. "It affects us. We have our own playground, but every time we walk through [the park] it's kind of treading on property."
Connelly says the intent of the policy is not to put a financial burden on area preschools and day cares, however Eisenheim says some of these locations may still be recovering financially from the pandemic. Permitting could start as early as July 1.