photo by: Dmitry Martirosov/Journal-World

The Hilltop Child Development Center at the University of Kansas is seen on Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2026.

Story updated at 6:38 p.m., Wednesday, Sept. 23.

The Hilltop Child Development Center at the University of Kansas, a childcare facility that has served families in Lawrence for 54 years, is shutting its doors — and parents are scrambling for alternatives.

The announcement, from Chari Young, the center’s board president and KU’s chief human resources officer, came in two separate emails that were sent both to parents and employees on Tuesday night and reviewed by the Journal-World. In them, Young said that the Hilltop Board of Directors approved a plan to “conclude operations” at the child development center.

Hilltop will stay open and operate through Oct. 30 for infant, toddler, and preschool classrooms, “provided the center can continue meeting all applicable safety, staffing, and licensing requirements,” Young said. The center will remain open through Oct. 23 for after-school care classrooms, according to the emails.

“The board’s decision followed a comprehensive review that considered the financial resources required for Hilltop to maintain high-quality care; regulatory and child-safety responsibilities; sustainable qualified staffing, reliable leadership coverage, and consistent classroom teams; enrollment growth; and facilities investment — all of which are critical for a durable future,” Young said.

Asked about Hilltop’s financial situation, KU spokeswoman Erinn Barcomb-Peterson said in an email that it was a “significant component” in the board’s decision, but added that “it was not considered in isolation.”

“Hilltop’s operating circumstances have changed significantly (since the west location was developed), including operating costs, the center’s ability to sustain a two-location model, enrollment and workforce stability,” Barcomb-Peterson said. “Those conditions were a part of what informed the board’s conclusion that continued operation was not responsible.”

Young, in her message to employees, said that the board’s decision is not reflective of the value of their work or professionalism. “Your contributions and care have been the foundation of what makes Hilltop special,” she said.

Parents with children at Hilltop will receive information about tuition, deposits and access to their children’s records, Young said in her email, and those who need adjustments to their children’s schedules will be contacted “directly and promptly.”

Some parents described the late-night decision as more likely than not to have a “dramatic impact” on their lives. Some also believe that the writing was on the wall all along, and, given its recent past, that the decision to close Hilltop is not surprising.

Ashley Estrada, a parent of a child at Hilltop, told the Journal-World on Wednesday that she enrolled her other child at a different childcare center because she was worried about Hilltop’s future. She said other parents have followed suit because of “inconsistencies” and fear of closure.

Over the last year, Hilltop has become mired in reports of abuse and numerous state violations that resulted in more than half of its teachers and students departing the center. Those include an incident where a child was sprayed with water as a punishment for talking, and another in which a teacher forcefully grabbed a child’s wrist. In yet another incident, in April 2025, a 5-year-old child was left unsupervised in a bus for a lengthy period of time while his classmates and teachers were on a field trip. Confirmed violations by state childcare licensing investigators date back to at least June 2025, as the Journal-World reported.

In all, 51 teachers departed Hilltop over a period of one year, while student enrollment has plummeted even more.

Hilltop’s main campus, along Ousdahl Road, has capacity for 400 students. But Estrada, through a source at the center, said that Hilltop’s current enrollment is 130; that is 38 students fewer than from a little over a month ago. That is also the same time when a group of the Hilltop’s employees, parents and past parents, filed a petition that demanded changes at the center.

Tuesday’s decision leaves many parents who still have children at Hilltop with limited options, as slots at Lawrence’s other childcare centers are nearing capacity.

Estrada has had a child enrolled at Hilltop for about three years, she said. She had been on a waitlist for more than two years before she got in. She said she recently missed a deadline to enroll her child at another childcare center because she wanted to stay at Hilltop. Now those spots have been filled, she said.

Estrada said that several parents have contacted more than half a dozen childcare centers hoping to find a slot.

“Everyone is scrambling for a spot,” Estrada said. “It’s devastating for everyone and very disruptive to our children.”

Estrada lobbed most of her criticisms on Wednesday at the center’s current executive director, Cori Berg. Berg’s personality, Estrada said, has left Hilltop’s teachers sobbing in the hallways. “I can’t tell you how many teachers have cried in the hallways to myself and other parents,” Estrada said. “It has been absolutely horrific to watch.”

Estrada acknowledged that Hilltop was “not in a good place” when Berg took over. But, she continued, “to put it simply, she made things way worse.”

Berg joined Hilltop in June 2025 at a time when the center was already mired in controversy. But since her arrival the state has confirmed new allegations, a Journal-World review of the state’s complaint database in August found. One of those reports found that in November of last year at Hilltop’s west location, an infant crawled out of the room and into the kitchen unattended.

Asked for comment, KU’s Barcomb-Peterson said, “We understand that Hilltop families and employees have had a range of experiences and perspectives during a difficult period for the center. However, we will not comment on allegations about, or personnel matters involving, individual employees.”

She continued, “The board’s decision was not a judgment about any one individual but rather followed a comprehensive assessment of Hilltop’s ability to provide safe, stable, high-quality care over the long term.”

The decision to close Hilltop has been floated, at least publicly, since last month, when KU spokesman Joe Monaco didn’t rule out that possibility.

Hilltop was founded in 1972 as part of the February Sisters movement to call more attention to the lack of childcare on the university campus. The west location, on Town Center Drive, was developed to expand access to childcare for KU and Lawrence families, Barcomb-Peterson said.