Michelle Amaral has had a long day at the Skyline College Children’s Center. For the umpteenth time, she picks up a spilt bin of toys and comforts a girl who fell off her chair.
     To the average onlooker, the work might seem tedious and tiring, but it does not bother her – she loves the center and the children there. There is something, however, that bothers her about the Children’s Center.
     The center is one of several school services that are facing district cuts of up to $15 million and an unknown amount of state cuts if Gov. Gray Davis’ 2003-2004 state budget is passed.
     “We don’t know how much they will cut,” said Judy Heldberg, director of the Children’s Center. “All of it, I suppose. They only do this because they can.”
     According to Heldberg, the state currently has a contract with day cares to provide free care for parents who qualify – this costs the state about $50,000. Most of these parents are low-income parents and will be greatly affected if cuts are made.
     “Right now we have 49 children at the daycare that come from 45 families,” Heldberg said. “About 98 percent of those families are low-income and get free care. If our funding gets cut, I don’t see how we could keep the center open. The worst part about it is that it’s all happened so fast. Most people don’t know what to do.”
     Amaral, who is the president of the SPACE (Student Parent Association for Children’s Enrichment) Club at Skyline, is also at a quandary as to what she should do about the center.
     “[The day care] means everything to me – if I didn’t know that my child was safe, I’d be at home,” said Amaral. “[The governor] should be in my shoes. You go to school to get educated and to succeed, and now I can’t do that. It’s almost like they’re cutting my roots because of their decision to cut the budget.”
     As president of the SPACE club, Amaral was asked to speak at the school’s recent “teach in” and will also be traveling to Sacramento to take part in the March 17 protest.
     “People think about the present [in relation to the budget crisis], what about the future,” said Natalie Gamburg, a head teacher at the Children’s Center. “It’s a good idea to have a day care on campus. This is not a good way to solve the problem.”
     Other services that face large cuts are DSPS, EOPS, the health center, the learning center, and possibly the library.
     “If these cuts are made, the class gulf will widen – it’s not helping, and they’re not fixing it,” Heldberg said. “It’s just awful.”