INDIANAPOLIS – Many families on Indy’s northeast side have found themselves scrambling to find child care as a long-standing community center is scheduled to close in August.
The Forest Manor Multi-Service Center announced it would close July 19 after serving the community for nearly 45 years.
With the center closing, parents said with short notice they not only are losing a place for their children to learn and play, they are also losing child care.
“Shame on them,” said Nathlie Harris, who has a 6-year-old daughter. “These are real families that are effected by the closure. The center has been around for 40 plus years, I understand, but to let us know the last minute is not fair.”
Other alternatives parents have found are the Finish Line Boys and Girls Club and the Avondale Meadows YMCA as they both run after school programs.
The interim executive director at Forest Manor Dana Harrison said she has been working hard to find options for families.
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“They will get very specific information that says ‘if you are a displaced parent with a child at this school, then the special arrangements that have been made are this and your point person is this,’” said Harrison.
Officials with Forest Manor said the “organization has faced numerous challenges as the role of multi-service/community service centers has evolved, and the needs and resources in our community have shifted” shortly after the announcement.
“Our board always has been, and remains, deeply committed to the Forest Manor neighborhoods. We are simultaneously heartbroken that we must shut our doors for a time, and energized that a better path can be established,” said Sarah Butler, Forest Manor board chair.
Parents in need of child care said they will be on the lookout for information from Forest Manor regarding assistance.
