Bright Horizons at East Longmont is closing at the end of the month after 18 years in the city, adding to a shortfall of available care for infants and toddlers.
Bright Horizons provided a written statement, but didn’t share the reasons why that location is closing. The center, which provides care for infants through preschoolers and is located at 919 Deerwood Drive, also didn’t provide the exact closing date.
“We have been a proud member of the community and have had the privilege to positively impact hundreds of children’s lives through our program,” according to the statement. “We share in the disappointment of families that the center will be closing in May. We have been working to identify opportunities to relocate all teachers and families to other Bright Horizons centers and are committed to supporting a smooth transition for the children in our care.”
The center, according to the state, had space for eight infants, 10 toddlers and 82 preschoolers up to age 6.
Kaycee Headrick, chief executive director of the Early Childhood Council Boulder County, said she didn’t have details on what led to Bright Horizons’ closure. But, she said, child care providers generally are struggling financially.
“The (Bright Horizons) closure puts an enormous strain on an already strained system,” she said. “The landscape is challenging right now. There just aren’t enough spots for infants and toddlers.”
She said challenges include meeting all the state’s licensing requirements, including requirements for ongoing training, as well hiring child care workers. She’s talked to multiple providers who have room for additional children, she said, but don’t have the teachers to open those classrooms.
“The combination of licensing and workforce pressure makes it really, really difficult,” she said, adding that charging families more to provide better pay for workers could make child care unaffordable. “There are just multiple factors at play and it’s kind of culminating into a bit of a perfect storm.”
Rachel Rohrig, who has two children at Bright Horizons, said she “cried for two weeks straight” when she learned the center was planning to close.
“It’s just so hard for parents,” she said
She said she researched all the child care center in the area before settling on Bright Horizons, then it took eight months for her older son to get a spot there. He started when he was 1 and been there for two years. For her second child, she added him to the waitlist while she was still pregnant. A spot opened up almost a year later, allowing him to start when he was 7 months old.
“We just love them,” she said. “Every single teacher is so warn and loving and kind. We were totally blindsided when they said they were closing. It’s so sad. It’s hard enough to find care. It’s like a needle in the haystack to find good care.”
As soon as she found out about the closure, she said, she went straight to another childcare center and got on the waitlist for her younger son. Her older son can go to preschool in the fall in the St. Vrain Valley School District.
For now, she’s looking to hire a nanny for the summer and is still exploring her fall. Her back-up plan is Bright Horizons Montessori at Interlocken in Broomfield — not ideal, she noted, as she lives in Longmont and works in Boulder.
“For the 3- and 4-year-olds, there are more options,” she said. “But the littles, it’s tough.”
