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Popular South Hills day care won’t reopen due to financial struggles

BETHEL PARK, Pa. — A long-time day care program in the South Hills is shutting down, despite Friday’s announcement that Allegheny County is one of the counties set to move into the “yellow” phase on May 15.

The financial strain of coronavirus was just too much to bear for Christ United Methodist Church in Bethel Park. The board just decided last night not to reopen its day care because they can’t afford it, even with the go ahead from Gov. Tom Wolf.

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“It was a very, very difficult decision. Our childcare board spent a lot of time trying to come up with ways that it could work,” said senior pastor Chris Morgan.

The day care at Christ United Methodist Church has been around for more than 30 years. The abrupt closure affects dozens of families in the South Hills.

Morgan told Channel 11 the day care was already having financial problems before the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Over the last several years, it has been annually operating at a deficient, and we’ve seen our enrollment declining,” he said.

He learned after a recent survey of parents that more kids wouldn’t return to the day care when it reopens, so the church would lose even more money.

They made the decision now to give enough notice for parents to make other arrangements and for employees to find another job.

The church does plan on reopening its nursery school in September following the necessary guidelines.

Parents will get their security deposits back and the money they paid for the second part of March, plus any donations they made to the day care.

Morgan said the church will continue to pay its staff through June 15, and their insurance will be covered through June.