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Child care provider replaces YMCA center
Adventure Time plans to start enrollment mid-June

by Emily Atwood

Adventure Time, a private, nonprofit child care provider, will move into 4667 Bernal Ave., which was vacated in December by Tri-Valley YMCA. The Pleasanton Unified School District board made the vote at last Tuesday's meeting.

School district spokeswoman Myla Grasso said the program plans to be open by mid-June, but timing would depend on obtaining state licensing, a process said to be backlogged by three months.

The Tri-Valley YMCA program used to lease the property, but notified parents in the program Nov. 19 that the last student day would be Dec. 21. The YMCA said it accumulated a $250,000 deficit over five years due to the high cost of infant/toddler care.

The intended purpose of the facility was to provide a service for district staff. Superintendent John Casey said that from the beginning, that idea never materialized. It was reported that only 12 of 44 kids enrolled had parents working in the district. LeeAnn Pomplum, the district's coordinator of purchasing, said that number dropped to seven in October.

In looking to replace the child care program, the district advertised a proposal request. The district received three proposals to occupy the facility, with the top two choices being Adventure Time and Lakeview Montessori.

The district then formed a committee--made up of district staff and parents--to evaluate the proposals and licensing files, as well as visit the top two sites.

District documents show that Adventure Time has 31 licensed school sites, and has 23 years of experience, while Lakeview had one site. Additionally, the committee found there to be no safety or supervision complaints with the Adventure Time program, but Lakeview had not had an evaluation since being licensed.

Adventure Time's enrollment costs consist of a $50 application fee and one and a half month's tuition. Tuition ranges from $585 to $1,190 per month, depending on age and how many days a week the child attends.

The program's owner, Neil Teller, said scholarships are available and that they would look into school board clerk Chris Grant's request for offering discounts to parents working in the district.

Teller said, according to state standards, that Adventure Time would likely need to install a shade structure and the capacity for children could be increased if there was more outdoor space available. One of the main differences between the previous and current child care programs is infant care. YMCA offered care for as young as 6 months old, which Pomplum said is the hardest age group to serve due to the need for additional staffing and care.

The teacher-to-student ratio at Adventure Time is 1:4 for ages 18 to 36 months and 1:8 for 36 months to 5 years old. The center's hours will be 6:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Pomplum said the committee was impressed by the longevity of the staff employed in the program and the extensive training manual that is used.

For more information about Adventure Time, visit www.adventure-time.com.

Posted by n/a, a resident of another community, on Apr 8, 2008 at 3:28 pm

I'm sure they will provide better care than the Tri-Valley YMCA. The the manager in charge of the YMCA hated running that center and claimed it closed due to budget reasons. We all know it was really a personal issue and they could never support staff long enough to keep them!

Posted by Rebecca, a resident of the Ruby Hill neighborhood, on May 6, 2008 at 4:54 pm

I think it is irresponsible to make annonomous accusations in a public forum. Both my children wwere enrolled at the YMCA program and had a wonderful experience. I still keep in contact with some of the staff that were there during the closure and they are great people! I wish the Weekly would edit some of the trashy gossip that appears on these comments.

Posted by Mom, a resident of the Kottinger Ranch neighborhood, on May 7, 2008 at 1:40 pm

The YMCA was a wonderful school that prepared my daughter for her school years. It was poorly run from the OFFICE, not the site. The children were loved, nurtured, and supported. The people who ran the books across the street, sadly, were sour and inept, and lead to the downfall of the school. A sad ending for a great school with fantastic teachers...

Posted by n/a, a resident of Dublin, on Jun 26, 2008 at 4:51 pm

The office team is responsible for poor budgeting. The Tri-Valley YMCA should close its doors for good. The "team" consists of the big hair who needs to look into the community needs instead of dumping all the money into the guides and princess program.