Belmont Community Learning Center hopes to make up for losses from transitional kindergarten 

“A large factor contributing to a decline in our enrollment over the last three years has been a free program provided by school districts across California, transitional kindergarten,” Recreation Supervisor Ingrid Orellana said during a Parks and Recreation Commission meeting May 6. 

Children who turn 4 by Sept. 1 can now enter public school transitional kindergarten, and at the Belmont-Redwood Shores School District, enrollment has increased from 132 students in the 2023-24 school year to 189 students as of the current year. While TK has expanded affordable education options for families, it also means that facilities like Belmont Community Learning Center have to find ways to make up for the losses.

Some daycares that provide infant care also see their operating costs go up, as infants make up a higher percentage of their enrollment numbers and require higher and costlier levels of care. 

The changes the center proposes are mostly focused on rebranding to attract more families, such as renaming the preschool. The entire community center, which offers a variety of programs, is also going through its own revamp. Previously an elementary school, which the city took over in the 1980s, the building is in need of major repairs and expanded amenities. According to cost estimates from the end of the year, the total cost for an updated center could range from $59 million to $83 million.

“I think that [Belmont Community Learning Center] is a really cool entry point into the community,” Chair Bubby Whitmore said during the meeting. “I feel like it’s the first time a lot of families here learn about things that are going on.”