Brenau University has announced the Child Development Center on the Gainesville campus will close permanently on Wednesday, June 30.
According to a press release from the university, the decision was made after data from the last five years showed a large decrease in enrollment, along with "significant" operational increases each year.
"To offset these trends, the university was faced with either significantly increasing the cost per child to a level uncompetitive with other local child care providers or stopping operations," the release reads.
The last day of child care at the Child Development Center will be on Friday, June 25.
The release states that while the COVID-19 pandemic was not the root cause of the closure, it did change the Child Development Center over the past year. Specifically, some staff members from the center became contract tracers before the return of students last year, something which removed them from their child care duties.
“We know that many children over the years, including some who are now current employees of the university, were educated at the Child Development Center and hold wonderful memories of their time at Brenau,” said Brenau University President Anne Skleder in a prepared statement. “While it is always a challenge to make these decisions, especially with a beloved institution, this is what is best for the university at this time.”
Laura Hylton, director of the Child Development Center, will provide currently enrolled families with a list of local providers in the wake of the closure.
