Photo: Town of Mansfield
MANSFIELD, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — Mansfield Superintendent Teresa Murphy sent out a letter Friday announcing the closure of Little Hornets daycare program at the end of the school year.
Some employees say this decision blindsided workers and parents, many of whom are teachers for the district who rely on the daycare service.
Kellie Roe, who has been teaching at Little Hornets for nine years, said she’s losing her dream job. “It was shocking," she told WBZ NewsRadio. "My whole future kind of flashed before my eyes."
In the letter, Murphy said the closure was necessary for the district’s long-term financial stability. The district will move its preschool program for children with disabilities into the Robinson School, which is where Little Hornets is currently located.
“I just wished that we could come together and find a solution for us,” Roe said. “There’s plenty of room in these other schools,” adding that teachers at the local elementary and high schools had reached out saying there’s plenty of room on their campuses.
“It just breaks my heart that we’re just being pushed aside,” Roe said.
Little Hornets daycare has 11 employees and 40 children enrolled. By the end of the school year, those 11 staff members will be out of a job and families of those kids will need to find a new child care service by September.
However, Roe said they are not giving up that easily and will do whatever it takes to save the program.
“It’s mentally exhausting to us but we will fight,” she said. “We’re not quitters.”
WBZ NewsRadio's Suzanne Sausville (@WBZSausville) reports.
