Bronzeville daycare closes due to staff shortage – NBC Chicago

The Effie Ellis Early Learning Learning Center in Chicago's Bronzeville neighborhood held its final graduation ceremony in recent weeks as the facility closes due to a lack of teaching staff.

The center was originally opened in 2008 by the nonprofit organization Center for New Horizons.

Low-income families who met certain requirements were able to send their children between the ages of six weeks and five years to the center for free before it closed earlier this month.

According to the nonprofit's CEO, there are staffing issues as employees have left the facility to take better-paying jobs.

“We've been trying to get additional funding so we can pay competitive wages. The main problem is that we're competing for staff. And we can't afford that,” said Lakisha McFadden, CEO of the Center for New Horizons.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average hourly wage for a preschool teacher in the United States is $13.69.

“They could go to McDonald's and make more money, some of them go to Walmart to make more money,” said former teacher Toni Frazier.

Frazier now works as a family support specialist and said teachers “need to get paid what they deserve.”

Tierra Washington, whose three-year-old son has been attending the center since he was seven weeks old, said the facility has felt like home and provided crucial help for her son, who has epilepsy.

Before the facility closed, 13 teachers were employed – 10 found employment elsewhere, three resigned. The students were placed in other schools.

Next week, McFadden will tell the Chicago City Council the facility's history.

“Early childhood education is important, and teachers need sustainable salaries,” McFadden said.