CDC Families,
Earlier this year, when the CDC Committee and church leadership made the difficult decision to permanently cease operations effective May 22, we also made a commitment to help ensure this transition is as smooth as possible, and to be transparent every step of the way. Today’s letter is an effort to honor those commitments and update you on the status of the Center.
As you will remember, the church is providing additional funding to help keep the Center open, including financial incentives to encourage staff members to remain through the end of the school year. Despite this effort, several employees have already given notice, and we recognize that more resignations are likely.
We want to reiterate that, for the safety of our students and to remain compliant with the law, we will only operate the Center when we are confident we can meet the student-to-teacher ratios required in each classroom by the Department of Social Services (DSS). The most recent staff resignations will make it impossible to fulfill this commitment unless we are able to secure additional assistance. Though we have church members who volunteer and provide enrichment activities, their presence does not count toward the ratio requirements. With these challenges in mind, we want to make you aware of the following action and contingency plans:
Church administrators are in the process of contacting local temporary agencies that specialize in childcare staffing to explore options to hire fully certified and DSS-licensed personnel who can help us complete this school year as planned. We should know in the next few days if this is a possibility.
If we are unable to identify and secure qualified personnel to adequately staff all classrooms throughout the remainder of the year, we will implement the following contingency plans, in the order listed:
- Permanently close individual classrooms – Classrooms for closure will be identified based on several factors, including an effort to displace as few families as possible.
- Reduce the Center’s hours of operation – A reduction would most likely result in an early afternoon closure each day.
- Permanent closure of the entire center earlier than the planned date of May 22.
Please note that we are also facing significant staffing shortages during Greenville County Schools’ Spring Break (March 16-20) and could be forced to shut down that week. To give us the best opportunity to provide childcare for those without other options, please let us know now if your child will be absent that week. If we have to shut down for the week, we will notify church members of the need for childcare and provide you with a list of anyone willing to assist you in providing babysitting services.
Please know that these decisions are all being driven by staffing shortages. None of us wants to reduce services, face an untimely closure, or cause you undue angst, so we are doing all we know to do to resolve this situation. We also don’t want you to be caught unaware, and that is why we are sharing this update and possible contingencies. We are still so grateful for you and want you to know that we remain committed to providing a safe and loving environment for your child.
Sincerely,
Chad Rickenbaker
Senior Pastor
Britni McCall
Representative of the CDC Committee