After 35 years serving thousands of families in the community, Haddonfield Child Care (HCC) will cease its before- and after-care program beginning in the fall.
The Haddonfield Board of Education (BOE) initiated a request-for-proposal process for the Haddonfield before- and after-care programs in February 2020.
On Monday, the HCC Board of Trustees learned from the board that HCC was not awarded the contract.
HCC Board President Kathy Morris said that HCC will continue to provide the Extended Day Kindergarten Program (EDKP) for the 2020-21 school year. All families who are registered for EDKP in the fall will keep their spots, according to Morris.
Kindergartners will continue to be transported, by bus, to or from the Lutheran Church of our Savior. HCC offices and EDKP have been operating from the rented space since 2016. Following the 2020-2021 school year, HCC will shut down all operations.
“We are very disappointed that Haddonfield Child Care will no longer be a part of this fantastic and unique community,” Morris said. “As board members and parents, we are very sad to go out this way,” Morris added.
Donna Marie Clancy will continue her role as executive director of the EDKP program in the fall.
“As director of HCC, one of the highlights of my day was visiting the programs at each school and seeing firsthand the activities the children were participating in that day. I will miss them very much,” Clancy said.
Established in 1985, HCC is a parent-run, non-profit organization that provides wrap-around child care services for children in the Haddonfield School District. Parents and community volunteers serve on the Board of Trustees and many Haddonfield residents have served as teachers and caregivers over the years.
“Since its inception, HCC has considered itself a partner with the schools and community, working seamlessly together to support, supervise and educate the children of Haddonfield from kindergarten through college,” said Denise Sellers, former HCC director and a trailblazer in the field of school-age child care in New Jersey.
“What seems inconceivable is that the Board of Education would choose this moment to make such a dramatic change. Schools are being challenged to re-configure, children are emotionally fragile, and families are facing upheaval and extraordinary work-life challenges of their own.”
The HCC Board of Trustees will meet on May 5, to discuss the next steps in the dissolution process of the organization.
“The community’s engagement and commitment to children in the HCC programs has been remarkable for more than three decades. We would like to thank the working parents, grandparents, caretakers, and all who have supported us throughout the years,” Morris concluded.
