Editor’s note: A previous version of this story indicated Jeanne Wakefield was the executive director of the Victory Village daycare center during the November 2021 allegations that led to UNC contracting with Bright Horizons. This is not true. There was a different executive director of Victory Village between Wakefield and Buschow. Wakefield’s last day as director of the center was July 30, 2021.
The Victory Village daycare has operated as a non-profit early education center for UNC families for more than 60 years. Now, its business model is changing after the University daycare center signed a contract with a national for-profit childcare provider, Bright Horizons.
Some parents said this change is a misstep by UNC officials.
Last week, a group of concerned parents, who all previously had kids at Victory Village, published an op-ed in the Daily Tar Heel outlining their frustrations with the recent and sudden decision to shift leadership over to Bright Horizons.
“Our children are no longer at the University Child Care Center, having graduated or moved on as our families’ needs changed,” the op-ed said. “But the children of our friends, coworkers and colleagues are, and we wrote this letter because we are deeply concerned about the wellbeing of all UNC families.”
They said the move represented a lack of transparency that “ignores community voices.”
“We are deeply dismayed by both this decision and the abrupt process through which it was made,” the op-ed said. “We are heartbroken and disappointed that the qualities that made the University Day Care Center so exceptional are now likely to be subsumed by corporate, top-down standardization and that UNC administrators have chosen to risk the reputation of the Center as a leader in innovative, high-quality and community-driven early childhood education.”
UNC alerted families of the change to Bright Horizons leadership on November 20, three days before the university and staff left for Thanksgiving break.
UNC Media Relations said the decision to shift leadership to Bright Horizons was due to an incident involving three employees in mid-November, including the then-executive director of the University Daycare Center. Media Relations did not provide specifics of the alleged incident, but the employees were placed on administrative leave at the time of the incidents.
“The alleged incident, if confirmed, does not align with the values and principles of the Child Care Center,” UNC Media Relations said in a statement to 97.9 The Hill. “Due to the nature of the incident, as well as the need to continue to serve the children and their families, the Board of Directors of Victory Village moved quickly to find a solution and reopen the facility with the safety of the children as the highest priority.”
Several parents of the center, including the authors of the op-ed, said the infrequent communication about the employees was indicative of a harmful pattern.
UNC officials said they clearly communicated the issues of the employees to the parents of Victory Village. According to Victory Village, three statements were sent to parents throughout November.
The first message on November 13 indicated the center’s discovery of allegations. These allegations led to the center closing for seven teacher workdays in mid-November, and placed a teacher, the associate director, and the executive director on administrative leave.
The second communication came on November 16 as an update on the situation, informing parents of the intended reopening date. This message also identified “co-sponsors of the center.” The Victory Village Board of Directors said, “The good news is that the co-sponsors have identified a solution with a highly regarded company that will ensure the center can operate following all rules and regulations of North Carolina.” This message did not identify Bright Horizons by name but did explain a contract with the co-sponsor was in the works at the time.
The third statement on November 20 informed parents of the partnership with Bright Horizons.
A new executive director, Jennifer Buschow, was named following the partnership with Bright Horizons. Buschow previously served as Regional Manager of Bright Horizons facilities in North Carolina for more than 24 years.
The DTH op-ed said parents were concerned about the new business model because they feared it would make day-to-day operations less child-focused and more profit-oriented. The authors urged the daycare to maintain low tuition, small class sizes and employee compensation policies at the center.
Photo via UNC University Child Care Center
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