Sumter County, SC (WLTX) - Parents in Sumter County told News 19 that they are scrambling to find child care as their current day care will close on Friday.
"We don't want to close, but it's just a decision that had to be made," Chastéy Rayford-Gibson said.
After eight years the Grace Cathedral Child Development Center along Oswego Highway is closing its doors for good. Rayford-Gibson oversees the center and said the decision is financial. At its peak the center cared for about 110 children, but as of this month she said there are less than 50 children in attendance.
"We were just given instructions to work as long as we could to keep the day care open as long and with the help of our God and our lawyer we were to make sure and let everybody have an honest two week notice," she said.
Some said two weeks wasn't enough of a notice. Rayford-Gibson and other church leaders met with parents to answer their questions and listen to their concerns.
"As a parent it is a short notice, but I believe as a facility and as a church they did everything possible that they could do," Monica McCain said.
Monica and Brandon McCain send their one-year-old daughter Brielle to the center. Monica said the center was a strong part of the community and is thankful that staff helped them find another day care.
"They gave us a notice and they have been helpful as far as making calls and calls out to many different facilities and we've been placed at Vanessa’s Playland on [Highway] 15 South," Rayford-Gibson said.
The center will officially close on Friday, but Rayford-Gibson said you can still talk with them if you need help finding child care.
"They can still call the day care. They can still call the church. We will be glad to share whatever information that they need. They know that we're closing, so that since they know that we're closing, they are prepared to assist and help," she said.
Grace Cathedral Child Development Center can be reached by phone at 803-774-7200.