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Councilmember McGovern reiterated the increased flexibility a license would provide which would, in turn, benefit all parties involved. Vice-Mayor Cook-Kallio stated that the conditions of approval appear to address all of the Planning Commission's concerns. She said the programs offered sound more like a school than a daycare and as a foreign language teacher herself cautioned against underestimating the comprehensive and consistent opportunity for language acquisition provided by LIL. The consolidated combination of programs offered actually serv~ss to reduce the carbon footprint and allows children an opportunity to complete their studies before going home to enjoy time with their families; lack of this is a problem identified with young kids in most communities. She said that when interpreting the State's statutes, it is incumbent upon the Council to look at the substantive nature of what is written rather than a single word and noted that the proposed hours of operation do not necessarily mean that every child is in attendance for that full length of time. She expressed support for staff's recommendations, suggested that Condition 21 could be reworded if necessary, and said that in a time when public schools are facing significant cutbacks, it would be wrong to limit the possibility of students receiving the enrichment this program offers. Councilmember Thorne relayed his visit to and impressions of the school and its staff. He expressed support for the application, staff's recommendations, and the Planning Commission's decision to approve what is a clear benefit to the community. He also suggested that Condition 21 could be reworded, if necessary. Councilmember Sullivan said that this is a wonderful program that provides a great opportunity for the children, but in light of the numerous similar applications coming before the City, it is important to step back and consider the bigger issues. Hisl:orically, applications for programs of a similar nature were all very structured, licensed, and offered play areas while recent applications seem to be almost ad hoc, covering a wide range of services over extended hours and accompanied by letters of exemption. He cited specific concerns over exemptions that sound like loopholes and the potential number of hours children could remain in an indoors school-type setting with essentially no outdoors time. He acknowledged the limitations associated with the school's current location but suggested that the community use this as an opportunity to come together with the Human Service~~ Commission to develop a set of guidelines and criteria for these programs. Councilmember McGovern questioned and confirmed that this application proposes 90 students in attendance at one time. She asked and confirmed that LIL is open during the summer and on school holidays from 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., meaning that there could be 90 children in attendance for 10.5 hours each of those days. Councilmember Sullivan said that the staff report indicated astudent-teacher ratio of 10:1 which mean a potential total of 100 people. Mr. Dolan explained that Condition 21 would apply during those extended hours and provisions for a trip to the park would be required. Councilmember McGovern reiterated the same concerns as Councilmember Sullivan, including the need for definitions, standards, and guidelines that apply to childcare. She stressed that the initial application was for a licensed extended daycare facility and that regardless of how wonderful the program offered is, a license ensures that the State will protect the rights and City Council Minutes Page 8 of 19 February 17, 2009