A shift by the city that may actually save some parents money.
3NEWS discovered that the city would like to turn over the After-Hour Kid Power program to the Corpus Christi Independent School District, which has already found grant funding for two of the city's 17 aftercare locations.
The program, at around $100 per child, is the cheapest after-school care program in the area, mostly because the city has been operating the program at a deficit for the past five years.
Robert Dodd, the director of the city's Parks and Recreation Department said, "Prior to 2020, we had 27 sites, 27 different schools that we had our After Hour Kid Power. It dropped to 19 sites. And now currently, this year, we have 13 sites."
Dodd said local districts have been taking over programs to offer free afterschool care to students. He said the city will talk with CCISD about taking over more of the programs.
"CCISD has implemented an after school program where through a grant they provide tutoring at some of the schools. So they've taken over some of the schools where we used to be in and now we're down to 13," he said.
Dodd said the program won't end this school year but the city would like to see districts take over the remaining programs in the future.
3NEWS reached out to the CCISD who sent us a statement saying, in part:
CCISD is offering an after-school program at 19 campuses this year, including Berlanga and Moore, campuses the City of Corpus operated the previous year.
The district went on to say they're grateful for the partnership with the city.
While there are still plenty of alternatives for parents to find after-school care, those who have trouble affording it can get help from the Texas Workforce Commission.
"Workforce Solutions offers child care services subsidies for anybody who needs help paying for child care services. This covers children up to age 12. So if somebody is needing somewhere for their child to go we can certainly help cover the cost for that," said Xena Mercado with Workforce Solutions of the Coastal Bend
Dodd said that the After-Hour Kid Power program won't be ending anytime soon. Almost 10,000 kids are enrolled so far this year, and any changes will ultimately be up to the city council.
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