EXCERPT FROM: News & Record
By Staff Reporter
WENTWORTH – Rockingham Community College will close its five-star child development center on May 28 because of low enrollment and rising operating costs.
College President Robert Keys announced the decision to the Board of Trustees this week. The center opened on campus in 1990 to provide child care for parents taking college courses.
The six full-time and seven part-time child development center instructors and staff members have been notified of the closing date. Parents were notified of the decision today.
“This was an extremely difficult decision to make,” said Keys, according to a college press release. “I truly regret it, but when we looked at the numbers, we realized this decision was unavoidable.”
Sixty-six children are enrolled at the center, about half of the facility's operational capacity. Only 21 of those children belong to college students. The center also saw a 50 percent drop in three years in the number of faculty and individuals in the community using the center.