WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) – Peachwood Early Learning Center has announced it will permanently close on November 1, ending nearly 11 years of operation. The decision has left families, like Jennifer Corner’s, urgently searching for new childcare. Corner, whose two-year-old attends Peachwood, is struggling to balance her full-time job with the need to find a suitable preschool for her child.
“We have five days left. No centers are open for tours now,” Corner said. “I want to see the facility before I enroll my child. I want to meet the people who will be caring for her, maybe even bring her along to see how she feels.”
Shelley Palmer, owner of Peachwood Early Learning Center, expressed the difficulty of her decision to close.
“There’s grief, there’s heartache,” Palmer said. “I had to look each of my teachers in the eye and tell them they no longer have a job.” She explained that many students left Peachwood for other programs offered through local school districts, causing enrollment numbers to fall.
“I lost 11 kindergarteners, which is typical,” Palmer said, “but my Pre-K class also left for other programs. This left us with a large deficit.”
The loss of these students has put a significant financial strain on the center.
“With the tuition income we’re receiving, we’re facing a $15,000 deficit this month,” Palmer explained. “After covering payroll, there’s nothing left for other expenses.”
Corner is determined to find a new solution for her family.
“I’ll figure it out somehow,” she said, “but I’m very nervous. If I don’t find something by Friday, I don’t know what I’ll do.”
Palmer noted that any donations made to Peachwood will be refunded after the center officially closes its doors.
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