Parents petition for answers about closure of OSU-Cascades’ daycare program

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- Parents of children who attended OSU-Cascades’ ‘Little Kits’ daycare program are demanding answers about it’s closure. To this end, they're sending a letter to the University's board of trustees, and the Higher Education Coordinating Commission.

The program, which operated for approximately seven months is closing in July.

The 7,200-square-foot facility was built by the college specifically designed for child care. It used roughly $3 million in grant funding, including support from the American Rescue Plan Act.

This closure forces parents to scramble for new day care arrangements after their children were enrolled in a high-quality educational program.

Parents expressed the difficulty of explaining the sudden closure to young children. Rachel Taylor, a parent of a child in the Little Kits day care program, described the challenge.

“I there's no way to really explain to her what's going to happen. There's no way to really say, you're never going to see your teachers again. She doesn't understand time or concepts like that. There is no way to say, like, yeah, you're never going to see your teachers. You're never going to see your friends. OSU administrators decided that you're going to lose all your friends so you don't get to have them anymore,” Taylor said.

Parents are demanding an explanation for the closure from the Oregon State University board of trustees and the state's Higher Education Coordinating Commission. They have sent a letter along with collected signatures from the community to both organizations.

The full letter is attached below:

Beyond an explanation, the letter also seeks details on how OSU plans to select a new operator for the soon-to-be-empty day care center.

When the closure was announced, OSU-Cascade released a statements, citing " ongoing financial challenges".

A change.org petition has also been launched by the parents of Little Kits.