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Google to close child care centers, impacting one Palo Alto site

Google operates a child care center called "The Woods" at the former site of Slater Elementary School in Mountain View, which closed in 2006. Photo by Zoe Morgan.

Google plans to close its employee child care centers later this year, impacting one center in Palo Alto.

The tech giant has four locations near its Mountain View campus where it offers child care for employees' children, all of which it intends to close in August, Google spokesperson Ryan Lamont told this news organization.

The sites offer about 300 enrollment slots, Lamont said. He would not release the locations of the child care centers, citing the safety of parents and children. However, the California Department of Social Services' search portal for child care facilities showed one location licensed to Google in Palo Alto, one in Sunnyvale and two in Mountain View.

9to5Google, a tech-focused website, first reported the news of the child care closures last month.

According to Lamont, Google is supporting families in finding alternative child care, as well as offering additional days of subsidized backup child care. The closures will also allow Google to "reinvest in enhancing our parental leave experience globally," Lamont said in a statement to this news organization.

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Google made news last week with the announcement of large-scale layoffs that will impact hundreds of tech workers, including in Mountain View and Sunnyvale.

In 2007, Google began developing the Palo Alto child care facility near the border of the city and Mountain View. State licensing lists the space operates as an infant center and a day care center.

The two Mountain View centers are both leased from the Mountain View Whisman School District – one at Theuerkauf Elementary School and another at the former Slater Elementary School campus, which the district closed in 2006.

The tech company sent notices to state and local officials about the staffing cuts, including a letter last month about the closure of the Slater child care facility. According to that letter – which was published by the San Francisco Chronicle – "approximately 73 employees" will be affected by the Slater closure, with the layoffs expected to begin on Aug. 9. SFGate also reported on the child care layoffs.

"We’re grateful for the hard work of our staff and educators, who have done a wonderful job supporting Google parents and families," Lamont said in an email last month. "We’ll provide faculty with assistance and resources and a generous package – including outplacement services to help them find their next job."

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Between the Slater and Theuerkauf sites, Google pays the Mountain View Whisman School District roughly $3 million annually in rent, according to copies of the lease agreements that the school district shared with this news organization.

The contracts provide that Google can terminate its leases without a fee by giving the school district two years written notice. Lamont declined to say whether Google planned to give this notice.

For its part, the school district confirmed that it was aware of the closures. When asked whether the district plans to seek another tenant, recoup the money in some other way or institute budget cuts, Superintendent Ayindé Rudolph said that those scenarios were possibilities, but he declined to provide additional information.

The school board was scheduled to discuss negotiations with Google about the Slater site in closed session at a Thursday, Jan. 11, meeting. Rudolph told the Voice ahead of the meeting that the closed-door discussion pertained to an unrelated request from Google about facility updates.

According to the leases, Google began renting space at Slater for its child care operations in 2006 and at Theuerkauf in 2004. The current contracts run through June 30, 2028, unless terminated early.

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The Slater site is about 31,000 square feet, including four classroom buildings, a multi-use room, an administrative building, three portables and yard space, the lease states. Google rents a smaller space at Theuerkauf, with three portables and outdoor space, totalling roughly 6,300 square feet, according to the lease.

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Zoe Morgan
 
Zoe Morgan covers education, youth and families for the Mountain View Voice and Palo Alto Weekly / PaloAltoOnline.com, with a focus on using data to tell compelling stories. A Mountain View native, she has previous experience as an education reporter in both California and Oregon. Read more >>

Follow on Twitter @paloaltoweekly, Facebook and on Instagram @paloaltoonline for breaking news, local events, photos, videos and more.

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Google to close child care centers, impacting one Palo Alto site

Google plans to close its employee child care centers later this year, impacting one center in Palo Alto.

The tech giant has four locations near its Mountain View campus where it offers child care for employees' children, all of which it intends to close in August, Google spokesperson Ryan Lamont told this news organization.

The sites offer about 300 enrollment slots, Lamont said. He would not release the locations of the child care centers, citing the safety of parents and children. However, the California Department of Social Services' search portal for child care facilities showed one location licensed to Google in Palo Alto, one in Sunnyvale and two in Mountain View.

9to5Google, a tech-focused website, first reported the news of the child care closures last month.

According to Lamont, Google is supporting families in finding alternative child care, as well as offering additional days of subsidized backup child care. The closures will also allow Google to "reinvest in enhancing our parental leave experience globally," Lamont said in a statement to this news organization.

Google made news last week with the announcement of large-scale layoffs that will impact hundreds of tech workers, including in Mountain View and Sunnyvale.

In 2007, Google began developing the Palo Alto child care facility near the border of the city and Mountain View. State licensing lists the space operates as an infant center and a day care center.

The two Mountain View centers are both leased from the Mountain View Whisman School District – one at Theuerkauf Elementary School and another at the former Slater Elementary School campus, which the district closed in 2006.

The tech company sent notices to state and local officials about the staffing cuts, including a letter last month about the closure of the Slater child care facility. According to that letter – which was published by the San Francisco Chronicle – "approximately 73 employees" will be affected by the Slater closure, with the layoffs expected to begin on Aug. 9. SFGate also reported on the child care layoffs.

"We’re grateful for the hard work of our staff and educators, who have done a wonderful job supporting Google parents and families," Lamont said in an email last month. "We’ll provide faculty with assistance and resources and a generous package – including outplacement services to help them find their next job."

Between the Slater and Theuerkauf sites, Google pays the Mountain View Whisman School District roughly $3 million annually in rent, according to copies of the lease agreements that the school district shared with this news organization.

The contracts provide that Google can terminate its leases without a fee by giving the school district two years written notice. Lamont declined to say whether Google planned to give this notice.

For its part, the school district confirmed that it was aware of the closures. When asked whether the district plans to seek another tenant, recoup the money in some other way or institute budget cuts, Superintendent Ayindé Rudolph said that those scenarios were possibilities, but he declined to provide additional information.

The school board was scheduled to discuss negotiations with Google about the Slater site in closed session at a Thursday, Jan. 11, meeting. Rudolph told the Voice ahead of the meeting that the closed-door discussion pertained to an unrelated request from Google about facility updates.

According to the leases, Google began renting space at Slater for its child care operations in 2006 and at Theuerkauf in 2004. The current contracts run through June 30, 2028, unless terminated early.

The Slater site is about 31,000 square feet, including four classroom buildings, a multi-use room, an administrative building, three portables and yard space, the lease states. Google rents a smaller space at Theuerkauf, with three portables and outdoor space, totalling roughly 6,300 square feet, according to the lease.

Comments

Bystander
Registered user
Another Palo Alto neighborhood
on Jan 17, 2024 at 5:53 pm
Bystander, Another Palo Alto neighborhood
Registered user
on Jan 17, 2024 at 5:53 pm

This is going to add to the childcare crunch. At present, there is not enough childcare for non-Google workers. Is it not possible for some other ownership to rent the facilities, take on the same staff, and open it to everyone at reasonable childcare costs?


fred
Registered user
University South
on Jan 17, 2024 at 10:32 pm
fred, University South
Registered user
on Jan 17, 2024 at 10:32 pm

If Google couldn't afford to run these sites, what is the chance that another company could afford to? The employees paid a lot, but Google's subsidies were large.


Resident 1-Adobe Meadows
Registered user
Adobe-Meadow
on Jan 21, 2024 at 12:22 pm
Resident 1-Adobe Meadows, Adobe-Meadow
Registered user
on Jan 21, 2024 at 12:22 pm

Companies and senior homes start off with good intentions. But once the idea becomes an actual, working situation then all of the legal people and state legislation comes into play. All types of restrictions pop up, and the cost if anything goes wrong will be a giant law suit. If attention shifts to avoiding law suits appears for any reason then any company needs to think about it's core values and what they are investing in. Any situation that would create ugly publicity is not worth is.


Resident
Registered user
Community Center
on Jan 21, 2024 at 1:25 pm
Resident, Community Center
Registered user
on Jan 21, 2024 at 1:25 pm

It doesn’t appear that Google “can’t afford” to run these sites but rather that they have decided to spend their $80 BILLION in net profit last year on other priorities.
This seems to be part of a troublesome trend. The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative just announced that they are abandoning their community focused programs like equalizing educational opportunities, Web Link and is now a purely “science based” philanthropy, Web Link
Now that these trillion dollar corporations are not needing to create local goodwill in support of massive local growth of their campuses, they appear to be cutting back their support of their communities and employees. Thankfully, there are still billionaires like the Sobratos who are deeply committed to addressing regional needs in affordable housing, education, and sustainability, Web Link


Bystander
Registered user
Another Palo Alto neighborhood
on Jan 21, 2024 at 4:20 pm
Bystander, Another Palo Alto neighborhood
Registered user
on Jan 21, 2024 at 4:20 pm

If, as some above suggest, Google can't afford to run affordable childcare for its workers and employees, then it is unlikely that anyone can run affordable childcare. Does this worry us? It should?

Affordable childcare is needed not just for tech workers, but teachers, healthcare workers and others in the workforce. Teachers may be able to get their children into the school districts in which they work, but that is only when the children reach school age. What do teachers do before then?

Childcare is what keeps women in particular, but both members of a couple in the work force. Childcare is imperative to enabling parents to work at least part time and more importantly for single parents.

If these running centers cannot continue functioning under the ownership of Google, then it must be possible to pass them on to some other body. The teachers are there, the sites are there, the equipment is there. Definitely the need is there.


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