Parents Frustrated, Worried Over Head Start Childcare Closures in Asheville

Parents Frustrated, Worried Over Head Start Childcare Closures in Asheville

Some parents in Asheville are panicked after several childcare facilities close. The Head Start program serves low-income pre-school-age children and recently announced three centers could be shut down. Community Action Opportunities runs the program and was operating 18 centers in Buncombe County. Three of those were inside Asheville Housing Authority buildings, but News 13 confirmed that those leases were terminated in June. The letter said Head Start has applied to stay in the buildings, but it’s a competitive process, and if Head Start is not chosen, their services would not be available.

Impact on Parents

One of those parents impacted is Nastassia Hearst. She is a mother of five, and several of her own children have gone through the nearby Head Start program at Lonnie D. Burton Child Development Center. She can walk to the center from her home with her youngest daughter, who is 3 years old and was thriving there. “My youngest one, I walk her on my shoulders every day, and sometimes she’ll walk home and it’s like the most enjoyable experience,” said Hearst. When she found out the childcare center was closing, she was devastated.

Disruption in Services

“It was upsetting, disgusting really, to learn within such a short bracket of time,” said Hearst. But she says this spring, parents were told that the housing authority was ending the lease at that location, as well as Pisgah View and Hillcrest, leaving the future of the program unclear. “That’s stressful, to have to look for childcare for vouchers and daycare in this area. It’s like wow, really, skyrocket high,” she said.

Childcare Crisis

As News 13 has reported, Asheville is labeled as a childcare desert, leaving working parents from all three locations stressed about finding another spot for their kids. “I have had this kid at this center, that kid at that center, both of these kids at that center, and both centers are closing potentially or have closed at this point. It’s heartbreaking, and you know, there’s only so much that can be done about it,” said Hearst. “Parents are upset. A lot of parents are upset with the timing we found out. As far as I know, they’re looking for new centers and we don’t have any word on the new centers.”

Statements from Organizations

Community Action Opportunities, which runs Head Start, sent the following response: “Program-wide our last day for children was June 7. We are unwilling to make additional comments during the Housing Authority’s open procurement process.” Asheville Housing Authority did not respond to News 13’s inquiry.