Parents, student-parents and supporters rallied Wednesday, urging KU administrators to preserve Hilltop Child Development Center and respond to concerns about high staff turnover, classroom disruptions and a possible closure.
About 20 people marched from the Kansas Memorial Union to Strong Hall, where they chanted “Hey, hey, ho, ho, KU, don’t let Hilltop go,” before attempting to speak with university administrators. The group called for new leadership, shared governance with teachers and parents, and investment in staff members many said have sustained Hilltop through a turbulent year.
The group attempted to meet with Chancellor Douglas Girod or other KU administrators. KU staff members told the group that administrators were unavailable, offered to accept materials and said they could help schedule a meeting.
The group and organizer Elise Higgins later waited outside the KU Student Affairs office for KU Public Affairs Director Joe Monaco, but no administrator met with the group during the rally.
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Even as they rallied Wednesday, some parents said they feared retaliation for speaking out and demanding change.
Hilltop’s Family Handbook, which parents were asked to acknowledge for the 2025-26 and 2026-27 school years, states: “Parents are prohibited from making defamatory, offensive or derogatory comments regarding the center or center staff.”
“This is us just advocating for truly our kids’ second home,” Hilltop parent Ashley Estrada said. “We just are asking for partnership in that. We’re not enemies.”
Concerns continue
Estrada and a second parent, Scharla Paryzek, said the rally came after more than a year of concerns about conditions at Hilltop.
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In August 2025, numerous Hilltop parents and staff members voiced a litany of concerns to this publication, calling it “a systemic failure.”
There had been reports of physical and verbal abuse, which many sources felt were the results of bigger issues with conditions at Hilltop. Administrators had ousted some beloved longtime staff members. New policies had made working conditions — including things as simple as using the restroom — intolerable for many staff members.
The center also announced in September that it was closing most of its classrooms at Hilltop West, the brand new building meant to expand the center’s capacity.
Additional changes, staff departures and terminations over the past year have continued to raise concerns among Hilltop families.
After a change to the center’s bylaws, the board of directors, which previously had 17 voting members including many parents, now includes only KU administrators, one parent who is president of the Hilltop Family Association, and Hilltop Executive Director Cori Berg as a nonvoting member.
Parents at Wednesday’s rally said those changes have made them feel further removed from the decision-making process, even as their children experience frequent changes in classrooms and caregivers.
The state has also documented further concerns and compliance issues, including another report of abuse, lack of supervision during outside time, playground equipment that is not in good repair and more.
‘It’s too many (goodbye) presents’
Estrada, a Hilltop parent of three years, said families raised concerns early last school year after three of their children’s classrooms closed with little notice.
“No transition period or anything,” she said. “We had all been starting to see that there was just a shift in the culture and things felt tense.”
She said a group of parents sent a letter to the board but did not receive a response. As the year went on, she said, teachers left, classrooms closed and families received little communication.
“It’s stressful, honestly,” she said. “We’re still here because of our teachers. Our teachers are so incredible.”
Estrada said her family waited two years to enroll in Hilltop and moved from another childcare facility to attend. Estrada had worked at Hilltop while she was a student at KU and knew she wanted her kids to go there.
Paryzek, whose child has attended Hilltop since September 2024, said her family waited two years to enroll because of Hilltop’s reputation. She said Hilltop was her and her husband’s first choice when they had their daughter, and said as soon as she had a due date, she joined Hilltop’s wait list.
Paryzek said she had previously experienced a sudden closure with another Lawrence facility. The possibility of it happening again “is obviously very defeating.”
“When we walk in now, dropoff and pickup, we can feel the tension from the staff,” Paryzek said. “They’re trying their best to hide it and keep going for the kids, but they really shouldn’t have to.”
Mavis Li, a KU American Studies student, said her 3-year-old child has attended Hilltop since he was 1. Li said her family moved from Hilltop West to the main campus in hopes of finding more consistent care, but her child has continued to experience changes in teachers and classrooms.
“They still have some good teachers, some experienced and good teachers that we are happy to work with,” Li said. “We don’t want them (teachers) to be stressed out because it affects our kids.”
Li said she appreciated the teachers who have cared for her child but found the repeated departures difficult.
“I really appreciate all the care from the teachers, so I get them goodbye presents,” Li said. “But it’s too many presents that I’m giving.”
Closure concerns
Natasha Kothari, a KU engineering student and Hilltop parent, said dependable childcare was a major factor in her decision to return to school for a second degree. Her child was part of the first infant cohort at Hilltop West, she said. If Hilltop were to close, it could significantly hinder her education.
“I would probably have to leave partway through the semester and just stop being a student until I figured things out,” Kothari said. “That stinks because I have just over 30 credit hours left in my degree.”
In response to emailed questions on Wednesday, Monaco said “we are assessing Hilltop’s facilities infrastructure and significant financial challenges facing the center.”
Kothari said her family has had positive experiences with Hilltop teachers, but the turnover made the future uncertain. She said her child’s new lead teacher announced Monday that their last day would be Friday.
“The teachers make Hilltop for us,” Kothari said. “But if things proceed the way that they have been, we’re not going to have any teachers left.”
“I think it’s easy to see a bunch of people marching into an administrative building and say, ‘Wow, they’re angry,’ right? And we are angry. We’re fed up that we feel like we’re not being heard,” she said. “But we are here because we love Hilltop, because we believe in Hilltop, and because we believe that it’s possible to save it if people actually use their listening ears.”
Monaco said the Hilltop board is aware of families’ and staff’s concerns and is continuing to address matters through established university and board processes designed to gather input broadly, review issues carefully, and support the full Hilltop community.
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Courtney Lane (she/her), staff reporter, has worked with The Lawrence Times since April 2026. She can be reached at [email protected].
Read her complete bio here. Read her work for the Times at this link, and see her photography for the Times at this link.
Jacob Rice (he/him), photo editor, has worked with The Lawrence Times since March 2026. He can be reached at [email protected].
Read his complete bio here. Check out his photography for the Times here. Read his articles for the Times at this link.
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