Parents and staff were notified this week that center will close on May 24
by Adele Uphaus
MANAGING EDITOR AND CORRESPONDENT
The KinderCare-operated daycare center and preschool on the campus of Mary Washington Hospital will close on May 24.
Families and staff were notified of the upcoming closure yesterday in a letter from Stacy Butler, KinderCare Learning Companies senior district leader.
According to the letter, Mary Washington Healthcare (MWHC), which owns the building at 1100 Sam Perry Boulevard through its property management company Medicorp, has plans to repurpose the building.
In 2021, the property had an assessed value of $2.3 million, according to Fredericksburg GIS.
Butler’s letter indicates that KinderCare spent a year looking for another suitable location in Fredericksburg but was unsuccessful.
Wendy Thomas, a parent with two children who attend the daycare, said families had no idea that KinderCare was looking for a new location.
She said it will be “extremely difficult” for families to find new placements for their children in just three months.
“My husband spent the whole morning today on the phone,” Thomas said. “He called all the way around town and was told summer care (for their 6-year-old) will be extremely difficult and that we may be able to get the 4-year-old into care in the fall. But at this point, nothing is available in May.”
Thomas said the “extraordinary” KinderCare teachers and the other families have been “the village that helped us raise our children.”
Gina Davis, the executive director of the Virginia Early Childhood Center’s North Central Region, said the closure of the KinderCare facility “exacerbates an already pressing issue.”
“Childcare shortages have far-reaching consequences, affecting families’ ability to work, children’s development, and economic stability. In small communities with limited options, closures like this can be particularly devastating,” Davis said. “This underscores the urgent need for organizations like MWHC to support community initiatives to address childcare accessibility and affordability comprehensively.”
She continued, “Without swift action, the repercussions will reverberate for years to come, hindering community growth and prosperity.”
The Advance reached out to MWHC for comment and did not immediately receive a response.
