Tiny Tots Preschool has been around for over 50 years, one of the oldest preschools in the city. Generations of Los Altans have played, learned and grown up in its San Antonio Club location and, more recently, its branch at the Los Altos Community Center. However, after this spring, the city-run preschool may be shut down and replaced with a private preschool vendor due to financial constraints.

Citing financial losses from the Tiny Tots program, Los Altos City Manager Gabriel Engeland released a Request for Proposal (RFP) that is open until Thursday, March 14 to privatize the preschool. 

“By and large, when you have a program that takes this much effort and loses this much funding, it would be irresponsible of the city not to look at alternative ways to provide not only a high-quality program, but one that can be sustainable and consistent,” Engeland said.

“There was a disregard for its history and a lack of transparency,” Los Altos parent Kay Chin said. “If the city knew that there were issues, they could have come to the parents and the teachers.”

If the preschool were privatized, tuition would likely sharply increase from Tiny Tot’s average of $4,000 per year. Children’s Corner Preschool, which also operates a location in Los Altos, has expressed interest in taking over the program, but its price tag is over triple what parents currently pay — $15,000 per year.

When Tiny Tots was nearing closure in 2010, the Parks and Recreation Commission produced a financial plan to recover from a $50,000 deficit, which increased tuition, improved marketing for the preschool and increased age ranges for eligible students with the addition of the KinderPrep program. Now, a 55% increase in Tiny Tot’s tuition — which would amount to about $6,200 per year — would allow the program to break even, while still remaining affordable at under half the price of other options. 

Some parents doubt that a private school will be able to deliver the same service and education Tiny Tots has provided, and organized to save the Tiny Tots program with a petition. The petition describes the parents’ concerns, one of which is that “the addition of profit-driven middlemen will only serve to worsen the experience for students, parents and teachers at the school.”

However, these concerns will be addressed by the city, as the RFP is still tentative, and any contract with a private provider will require the public’s review.

“We haven’t made a decision yet — we’re in the due diligence process,” Engeland said. “When parent groups or individuals say there’s a lack of transparency, I try to highlight what part of the process we’re in. If there is a contract awarded, that has to happen in public.”

The decision was made with the aim to free up the city’s general funding. Losing between $180,000–$250,000 a year, Engeland says that Tiny Tots was siphoning away money that could be used to provide services like public safety and the city’s crossing guard program.

There is also the possibility that no RFPs will meet the city’s proposed criteria. The city hasn’t decided how it will proceed in this case.

Another major concern is the viability of preschool services in Los Altos. The Tiny Tots program has seen declining enrollment, with some programs being down to only five students per session. 

“I think total enrollment in the program right now is about 20,” Engeland said. “It’s a heavy lift for a city with regards to staffing and the amount of staff time, effort and energy we put into it.”

“The state is having school districts expand their transitional kindergarten programs, which further erodes our base of attendees,” Engeland continued. “It’s also a saturated market in the private marketplace.”

Still, the community is rallying to keep the preschool open. Amidst an evolving city, budget and education scene, the petition asks the city not to “shutter and privatize our local school without consultation of parents, students, teachers and residents.”