Parents are frustrated when Troy's daycare closes

TROY, Ala. (W.S.F.A) – Some parents are shocked to hear that a church daycare center, Troy First Baptist Church Daycare and Early Learning Center, is closing.

While a letter to parents states this is due to financial and personnel issues, information shared with church members says otherwise.

On Halloween, parents with children enrolled in the program received a letter informing them that they would close next May due to staffing shortages and financial difficulties.

One parent, who remains anonymous, says he didn’t see it coming.

“I was a bit shocked to be honest. How did this meeting go? No one told anyone,” the father said. “It’s difficult, depending on their age, because they’re a year and a half or two years old, a little more difficult to get them in. And when you finally get that phone call that says, ‘we have an opening,’ you’re excited.”

In many situations, parents must join a waiting list before their child is even born to ensure they can arrange childcare.

According to this year Counting data book for kidsbrought to you by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, Alabama currently ranks 44th, six spots shy of the worst, in family and community care in America, stating that a child must have quality education and quality support services in order to thrive.

This closure makes it much more difficult for parents to find care.

“We can go back to work,” the anonymous parent said of childcare. “We don’t have to worry about taking our kids to work and things like that.”

Despite what was revealed in the letter to parents, an email to church members noted additional issues that led to this closure, including “pending issues with DHR and current and potential renovations.”

According to the email, the decision to close was made by the Childcare Advisory Committee.

The parent WSFA spoke with says he was told the renovation would not impact child care.

WSFA 12 News reached out to the childcare center and Troy First Baptist Church, but they declined to provide a statement.

Troy First Baptist Church Daycare and Early Learning Center is church exempt, not licensed by the Alabama Department of Human Resources, and not required to follow DHR guidelines.

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