Family Promise of Lawrence’s founder is convening local organizations, churches and families to brainstorm solutions for a growing childcare shortage in town expected after the closure of Hilltop.
Hilltop Child Development Center closing at the end of the month means more than 100 families have found themselves looking for new childcare. Many parents spent the days after the announcement researching late into the night or driving around town looking for open spots amid a sea of long childcare waitlists.
Joe Reitz, who founded Family Promise of Lawrence in 2007, said he has been following the dwindling childcare options in town and wanted to work on ways to help families.
He will host a meeting at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 20 at First Baptist Church, 1330 Kasold Drive. The meeting aims to bring together families in need of childcare and local churches and organizations who may be able to help, Reitz said.
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Reitz said Family Promise has seen during its years of working with families experiencing homelessness that a lack of childcare access can be a major factor in people losing incomes and housing.
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Without affordable childcare, people are less likely to be able to work or afford housing, he said.
“What got me involved in this? I read about Hilltop closing,” Reitz said. “I thought, ‘Oh my God, do people realize what this is going to do?’ How many homeless families are going to be out there looking for daycare when there’s a long waiting list for daycare already in the community? I don’t know where the families are going to go.”
Reitz has a long history of working with local churches and community organizations to provide services for people experiencing homelessness. He said he hopes that experience can help them begin to address the shortage of affordable childcare options in Lawrence.
“The community recognizes that they have a problem, and they’re not in this by themselves,” Reitz said. “Collectively, there are a lot of people out there willing to help.”
The closure, which the Hilltop board announced Sept. 22, comes after more than a year of turmoil at the center. The center that has served generations of families in Lawrence previously had yearslong waitlists, but enrollment has dropped significantly as parents have voiced numerous concerns about the center’s administration.
“I’m not out to assign blame or even try to figure out why this happened,” Reitz said. “It’s happened. It’s like you come on a car wreck. You don’t worry about how it happened. You’ve got to help the people who are there.”
The meeting will mostly be focused on listening, Reitz said. He wants to hear more about the issue and those affected. Hopefully, this will lead to a chance to brainstorm solutions and ways local groups can help, he said.
“The first thing they need is somebody who will genuinely listen to them in a nonjudgmental fashion and really listen to their concerns before we try to figure out how to help them,” Reitz said.
Note: This post has been corrected from a previous version.
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Cuyler Dunn (he/him), staff reporter, has worked with The Lawrence Times since April 2022. He can be reached at [email protected].
Read his complete bio at this link. Read more of his work for the Times at this link.
More coverage of Hilltop Child Development Center:
Cuyler Dunn/Lawrence TimesFamily Promise founder to host meeting about childcare in Lawrence after Hilltop closure announcement
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