Parents of children attending the OSU-Cascades’ ‘Little Kits’ daycare program are seeking answers after the university announced its closure. The program, which operated for approximately seven months, will shut down in July. The 7,200-square-foot facility was specifically designed for child care and was built using $3 million in grant funding, including support from the American Rescue Plan Act.
Parental Concerns
Parents are finding it challenging to explain the sudden closure to their young children. Rachel Taylor, a parent of a child in the Little Kits daycare program, expressed her difficulty in explaining the situation to her child. The closure has forced parents to scramble for new daycare arrangements, as their children were enrolled in a high-quality educational program.
The parents have sent a letter to the Oregon State University board of trustees and the state’s Higher Education Coordinating Commission, demanding an explanation for the closure. They have also launched a change.org petition to gather support from the community. The letter seeks details on how OSU plans to select a new operator for the soon-to-be-empty daycare center.
When the closure was announced, OSU-Cascades cited ‘ongoing financial challenges’ as the reason. However, parents are seeking a more detailed explanation and are concerned about the impact of the closure on their children’s education and well-being.
Original reporting: KTVZ (Central Oregon) — read the source article.
