The closure of Quinsigamond Community College's Children's School comes as a shock to two of the program's lead teachers.
"Personally, I have a little over 10 years here at QCC. I have built a career and a life there," said Erin Roache.
Roache's colleague Brandi Dewar said, "We quickly learned that decision was made without the input of the knowledgeable professionals who would be able how this could possibly, successfully operate."
The on-campus childcare center provided early education for kids aged 2 years and 9 months to 5 years old.
Children of students, staff, and the surrounding community were enrolled in the school.
QCC Vice President of Academic Affairs James Keane says they ceased operations for the remainder of 2020, citing safety issues due to the coronavirus pandemic.
"We made the decision purely based on looking at the guidelines for reopening, working with heath experts locally from the campus as well as the state, and making the tough decision that we wouldn't be able to offer services for the fall term," Keane said.
The children's school has been in service for nearly 50 years.
Roache and Dewar say the sudden closure has brought on a lot of uncertainty for staff and families, in an already uncertain time.
"It has a lot of families left in a hard position of not knowing whether they're going to be able to enroll their child or if they have to seek other care," said Roache.
The two teachers say they were also informed they were being let go.
And while they want the school to reopen, they're not rushing it.
Dewar said, "We are not hoping for a premature reopening that could put people in danger. We always put safety of the children, the families and the teachers first and foremost with everything. What we are hoping for are open lines of communication."
QCC will be providing remote education for the fall semester. They will also be reassessing the children's school at the same time.
Keane said, "We need to really study and understand the virus, and see if it is contained or if we see spreading throughout the fall semester to make that decision."