Goldsboro daycare closing, some parents yet to receive notice
Brighton Academy in Goldsboro announced an impending closure Wednesday, leaving parents scrambling to find childcare with little notice.
Some parents tell WRAL our reporting is the first they have heard of the closure, as management has yet to make a formal announcement.
Amber Stevens’ first thought was to find a backup plan for childcare when she heard a rumor that Brighton Academy was closing down just days from now.
"We will get on waiting lists, and in the meantime, we will rely on our support system,” she said.
Stevens considers herself lucky that she can rely on family to care for her 3-year-old daughter while they look for a different childcare option.
“Trying to find childcare is going to be hard,” Stevens said. “The waiting lists are like a year long.”
Several parents reached out to WRAL, looking for answers about they weren’t informed about the closure.
WRAL called up Brighton Academy’s Owner, Jacqui Lippold.
Lippold said she planned to retire in early January and was going to inform the parents days before. However, Lippold said word got out early, sending parents to pull their kids out this week and forcing Lippold to close the next one.
"If you tell people 30 days in advance, they aren’t going to pay for childcare. So how would I make payroll if people aren’t going to pay? No daycare sends a 30-day notice,” Lippold told WRAL on the phone.
Stevens tells WRAL that 30 days is not enough to find another childcare option. She said the daycare’s policy for pulling your child out of the center is two weeks in advance.
“If you’re telling parents that you as a facility need a two-week notice before you pull your kid out in writing. I think we should get that same notice,” Stevens said.
Stevens said she is disappointed with the center’s decision, as she has had a good experience until now.
“I have had a really great experience there. Even now, I’ll tell people that. I just kind of wanted that same respect.”
Lippold said she is currently helping parents relocate their children into new childcare facilities before the center closes on Dec. 21.
