Dear CEO Employees,
Yesterday, we made the difficult announcement that the Stepping Stones 2 Day Care Center will be closing on August 28. The decision was not an easy one, and involved a great deal of consideration, evaluation and planning. We are doing everything we can to make the transition as easy as possible for our employees and our families who are affected by this change.
Twenty years ago, Stepping Stones 2 was created to meet a need for affordable child care at a time when such service offerings were scarce. However, an increase in local day care providers has caused enrollment at Stepping Stones 2 to steadily decrease, while the costs associated with running the center continue to rise. We have exhausted our efforts to maintain the center’s viability. Unfortunately, the demand for our day care services is not enough to keep the business running.
Stepping Stones 2 has been operating at a deficit for years now. Continuing to operate in this manner would be fiscally irresponsible, as it would be a detriment to other mission-centered programs we operate. CEO’s programs are designed to empower families to move out of poverty by meeting specific, identified needs in our community. To continue to work toward our mission, CEO must prioritize the new, pressing challenges that individuals face today, and we must make fiscally responsible decisions in order to be most impactful.
During this difficult time, we ask that you be patient with everyone around you and mindful that emotions may run higher during this transition. We are doing everything in our power to make sure that our employees are well cared for and are able to find employment within CEO’s other programs, or with other respectable organizations in the area. We are also helping our families transition to new day care options as smoothly as possible.
As always, thank you for everything you do. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to me or our Senior Cabinet team. Also, please be reminded that any outside inquiries from the media must be directed to Emily Cote at ext. 274.
Sincerely,
Katherine Maciol
President/CEO