Truro voters approved money for an after-school program months ago. Why hasn't it started?

Truro Central School has not had an after-school program since before the pandemic, although parents were expecting one this year since funds for the program were approved at the spring town meeting.

The general override article for community sustainability programs provided $116,000 for school salaries and wages and cited the Out-of-School Time Program as one recipient.

“Parents need special services,” Christine Markowski of Truro said. She has twin 10-year-olds who have been in the school since age 3. She doesn’t need the program now, but she has been speaking up for other parents. Working parents are losing promotions and leaving their jobs early to race to pick up their children, so “it’s having a ripple effect,” Markowski said. Advertising for the positions started too late, just before school began, she said.

Truro is the Cape's smallest and most rural community with under 2,000 residents, located in the outermost part of region.

The enrollment at Truro Central School, the town's one school, is 90 in pre-kindergarten to grade 5, Principal Patrick Riley said. Older students attend out-of-town schools including Nauset Public Schools.

Majority of Truro parents interested in after-school care, survey shows

A school survey that drew 30 responses from parents indicated that 76% of them are interested in having after-school care, and an additional 16.7% might be interested

Most parents — 96.7% — indicated they would need care for one or two children.

The problem in getting the program going has been finding 3.5 staff members — a full-time supervisor and two full-time program leaders and also one part-time program leader, according to Damion Clements, director of Truro Community Services, who answered questions from the Times in an email.

After the positions were posted on Aug. 24 on the town website, five candidates submitted applications and were offered interviews, Clements said. Three were offered positions initially, but two declined and one candidate accepted the offer for program supervisor.

Three additional applications have since been received and interviews were conducted in late October. Negotiations are under way to hire the program leaders, he said.

Recruitment included $1,500 to $2,500 sign-on bonuses and additional advertising on the town’s Facebook page, in Cape Cod newspapers and other hiring sites, at local colleges and universities and sharing with recreation and beach staff.

It's important to hire but also important to be discerning, says Truro Community Services Director

“Although we are eager to hire these positions and implement this very important program, it is critical to be discerning when selecting individuals to work with our Truro children,” Clements said. He cited “an acute crisis” for finding childcare providers locally and nationwide.

“Once the staff are hired, we will assess a start date,” Clements said.

He is in charge of the hiring with approval from the town manager. The program will be operated by the recreation and beach division of his department.

The after-school program will be held in the school for kindergarten through grade 5 children. It would run at no cost from 3 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. after any regular school day.

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This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: After-school care in Truro stalled due to hiring shortage, town says