In a decision that has left many surprised, the State Fair Community College Board of Trustees voted in closed session Tuesday to end its agreement with Melita Day Child Development Center effective Dec. 31.
According to information posted by Melita Day in an update to parents and friends of Melita Day students, Anne Gardner, president of Melita Day, wrote the following:
“July 25, the executive members of the Melita Day board and Elizabeth May, director, met with the SFCC Board of Trustees. Both Boards had signed a three-year contract in July of 2015 that provided for a yearly review. At the time of the yearly review either board had the right to terminate the contract early.
“Later that Afternoon, Dr. JoAnna Anderson and Dr. Brent Bates advised President Anne Gardner that the SFCC Board had in fact voted to terminate the contract as of Dec. 31, 2017, or six months earlier. This means Melita Day will have to vacate its location at SFCC no later than December 31.”
“We were stunned with the decision,” Gardner told the Democrat about receiving news of the decision. “It was very unexpected.
“Both the college and Melita Day had the ability to terminate the contract without reason,” Gardner said. “We appreciate the opportunity SFCC’s board gave us to speak but we are scrambling hard and fast to secure a place for both our students, parents and staff.”
According to a SFCC news release, the college owns the building the center has been using since 1996 and has not charged Melita Day rent in the nearly 21 years it has been on campus.
“In addition to paying staff salaries and its own operational expenses the center is responsible for paying utilities to the college for the 75 percent of the building that it occupies and for obtaining and maintaining Missouri accreditation and state licensure,” the release states.
Melita Day has not obtained its state accreditation, which Gardner said may have been a factor in the college’s decision.
“I truly don’t believe it was any one thing but we did fail in that (accreditation) direction,” Gardner said. “Accreditation is a yearlong process, and there are many parts to it including that all staff has to have some college credit.”
According to Gardner, there are requirements for the Head Start Program as well.
“You have to have the people to maintain the proper level of care for the numbers of students you have for licensing and head start,” Gardner explained. “If staff leaves we still have to have people in place for our students.”
The center provides care for 62 children from the age of six weeks to 6 years old. It employs a staff of 15.
Gardner said Melita Day will remain open as long as possible but it is “difficult to say if they can remain open until the end of December.”
Gardner also indicated the facility is looking for another location but the board understands if parents choose to look for another daycare provider.
The Melita Day board is looking for a new facility but there are certain requirements for the space and location that must be met to meet state licensing guidelines, she added.
“Right now everything is very fluid for us and I don’t have a lot of answers to all of the questions right now,” Gardner said. “The crystal ball is a little murky right now.”
The decision to end the agreement was not one the college made lightly, according to both Anderson and SFCC Board of Trustees President Randall Eaton.
“After much consideration the (SFCC) board has decided to end the agreement with Melita Day,” Eaton said in the release. “We appreciate the opportunity that our students and staff and employees have had to use their services and we are hopeful that the center can re-open in another location by the end of the year. “
