Disappeared News: Neighbor Islands have fewer options for child care on Furlough Fridays

Monday, October 19, 2009

Neighbor Islands have fewer options for child care on Furlough Fridays

by Larry Geller

Today’s Advertiser included a helpful list of day care programs for the first Furlough Friday. Most of them are in Honolulu, of course, as you’d expect. What will North Shore residents do? Leeward Coast residents? Anyone on Kauai?

And what about parents who just can’t afford some of the fees, even if there is an available program?

The Garden Island is running one of those newspaper polls on the subject. I think it’s still ongoing, and of course, “unscientific,” but still: only 7% of Kauai respondents will utilize day care. The biggest percentage (35% at this moment) will leave their children at home, and fully 32% have no idea what they will do.

Wait for the backlash when/if the first Furlough Friday kicks in. The Star-Bulletin has the flavor of it already in Richard Borreca’s article, Furlough blame game (10/19/2009).

I’m expecting a media frenzy on Friday as newspapers and TV stations try to cover all bases with the reduced staff left to them by their own management’s cuts.

Now, if a lawsuit should succeed in keeping the schools open, will parents who made other arrangements get their money back?

Yes, the blame game is about to begin.