Dozens of families have been left without before and after-school child care as a result of a canceled Parks and Rec program in Bethany.
A special Board of Selectman meeting was held Tuesday night to address the issue. Town leaders laid out a plan to work with the Jewish Community Center located in Woodbridge.
The JCC said they can accommodate child care for 46 students maximum due to a licensing issue and would need a minimum of 25 to launch the new program as soon as next week.
RELATED: Bethany's Parks and Rec director resigns after former town employee faces sexual assault charges
The Board of Selectmen explained that though they were able to negotiate, the cost of the childcare would cost families $8 additional dollars a day than the $12, a day price they had been paying for the now obsolete Parks and Rec program.
“We would not be in this situation if Paula [Cofrancesco] had started when she was asked back in June to look for other options,” said one Bethany resident attending the meeting.
The Board of Selectman voted on a motion to have the Board of Finance consider subsidizing that cost.
After much discussion during the subsequent Board of Finance meeting, the board decided to subsidize that cost through the rest of the school year. This would not cover costs of child care during school vacations, early dismissals or religious holidays observed by the JCC.
“It was not what we wanted to do, but we had no choice,” said Bethany First Selectwoman Paula Cofrancesco.
She attributed the last-minute program cancellation to the Park and Rec interim director’s recent resignation.
This all stems from sexual assault allegations made against former town employee Anthony Mastrangelo.
Many have criticized the town’s response to those allegations, expressing a lack of trust in town officials.
Bethany parent Jess Pagonis says she removed her daughter from Park and Rec programming.
“When the scandal happened and broke out, we lost faith in the Parks and Rec program and immediately pulled her," she said. "So now, I was left to scramble, figure out my own child care accommodations and now we’re kind of left in the same boat.”
Some parents are now on a waitlist for this program, waiting for child care and positive change.
“Hopefully, they’ll be able to rebuild, start fresh and give this town, this community, a really good summer camp, some before and after care with certified, responsible and trained staff,” said one Bethany resident.
Another special Board of Selectmen meeting is scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 19 to further discuss the future of the Parks and Rec Department, which at this time remains in limbo.
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Kaelee Collins is a multimedia journalist for FOX61 News. She can be reached at kcollins@fox61.com. Follow her on X, and Instagram.
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