Please sign our Letter of Support to save Little Kits Early Childhood Education Center

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Oregon State University Board of Trustees

652 Kerr Administration Building

Corvallis, OR 97331

Email: trustees@oregonstate.edu 

Oregon State University Chancellor and Dean’s Office

1500 SW Chandler Avenue

Bend, OR 97702

Email: christine.pollard@osucascades.edu 

Email: laurie.hill@osucascades.edu 

Higher Education Coordinating Commission

3225 25 th Street SE

Salem, OR 97302

Email: info.hecc@hecc.oregon.gov

Dear Members of the Board of Trustees,, 

We are writing as members of a community deeply affected by the recent announcement that the Little Kits Daycare Center will be closing less than a year after opening in a facility constructed with $3.4 million in public funding intended to help address Central Oregon's childcare shortage.  Many families are now facing significant disruption and hardship and staff are scrambling to find alternative employment as a result of this decision.  We urge Oregon State University Cascades to provide transparency regarding this decision, reconsider the closure, and ensure that any transition prioritizes continuity of care for children, retention of staff, and stewardship of public resources.

To date, there has been a lack of clear communication from OSU Cascades.  Families and staff, as well as elected officials and members of the media, have received very limited responses to repeated inquiries regarding the closure and transition process.

We request that OSU Cascades work diligently and in good faith with families, staff, community partners, and potential providers to identify solutions that continue serving both the university and the broader Central Oregon community.  

We request transparency regarding both the decision to close Little Kits and any plans to transition this publicly funded facility to a new operator. 

If closure ultimately proceeds, we request a fair, transparent, and publicly accountable process for selecting a new operator. To support that process, we propose the following evaluation criteria.

Little Kits is not simply a childcare center. For many families, it is the reason parents are able to work, attend school, and contribute to the Central Oregon community. Children have formed relationships with trusted teachers and peers, and staff have committed their careers to building a high-quality early learning program. The abrupt loss of these relationships and services will have lasting consequences for families already struggling to find childcare, small children who thrive under consistency and routine and staff who believed they had long term employment.

The Decision to Close Little Kits

I. What specific financial issues led to the decision to close Little Kits? How long was OSU Cascades aware of these financial issues? Did OSU Cascades try to secure additional funding and grants to remediate said financial issues? Did OSU Cascades attempt to better advertise the Little Kits program to fill more spots and generate revenue? How could OSU Cascades be financially insolvent in running this facility when other private daycare operators have been able to remain in business (especially considering that it had free use of a $3.4 million taxpayer funded facility and was receiving monthly tuition from both parents and Baby Promise)?

II. What considerations were given to employees of Little Kits, many of whom relocated to Bend for this specific job opportunity? Is OSU Cascades reevaluating its previous position in choosing not to provide severance packages to its employees?

The Selection of a New Provider to Take Over the Facility

I. Has OSU Cascades considered the ethical implications of accepting, from another

private daycare operator, rent money to use a facility funded by taxpayer dollars? Will OSU Cascades be reimbursing the State of Oregon and Deschutes County for the financial backing that it received to build the Little Kits Daycare Center?

II. Our understanding is that at least three private daycare operators (Mudpies and Lullabies, Montessori at the Pines, and Skylark) have offered to take over the facility, providing continuity of care for current attendees and job security for staff. Our understanding is that OSU Cascades has declined or not pursued these proposals and instead is in negotiations with Head Start (which primarily serves income-qualified families and will not meet the needs of any currently enrolled infants and toddlers). Why has OSU Cascades not considered the aforementioned operators as viable options? Has OSU Cascades given thought to renting part of the facility to Head Start and another part to a private daycare operator that can address the needs of the entire community? Taking into account OSU Cascades’ own financial issues, does it have any concerns about contracting with Head Start which is federally funded and could very well experience budget shortfalls?

III. Finally, what criteria is OSU Cascades using to select the new tenant for this facility? In light of OSU Cascades’ stewardship of taxpayer dollars to address the childcare crisis in Central Oregon, we feel that it is imperative that it adopt the following standards in its determination:

i. Continuity of Care – A commitment to serving all currently enrolled infant and toddler families with the least possible gap during transition, as close to July 2 as possible.

ii. Retention of Current Infant and Toddler Teaching Staff – A clear offer and plan to bring on existing Little Kits teachers.

iii. ERDC Provider Status – Active enrollment or a demonstrated pathway to becoming an ERDC approved provider before assuming operations as most of current Little Kits families are ERDC subsidized.

iv. Baby Promise Provider Pathway – Current Baby Promise status or a stated intent and eligibility to apply for Baby Promise provider designation.

v. Lease Amount – Proposed rent for the facility on the OSU campus.

vi. Parent Representation – A formal structure for giving currently enrolled families a representative voice in governance or as an advisory committee.

vii. Transparent Process with Clear Public Timeline – A willingness to present proposals publicly and adherence to defined transition milestones open to community review.

viii. Organizational Capacity – Licensed, insured, staffed to Oregon requirements, with demonstrated experience operating sustainable quality child care.

These questions are important because families, employees, taxpayers, and community partners have invested significant trust in this project and deserve a clear understanding of how decisions are being made.  

We respectfully request a written response to these questions and an opportunity for affected families and staff to participate in a public discussion regarding the future of the facility. Given the July closure timeline, we ask that this response be provided by June 15, 2026.

Thank you for your attention to this matter and for your consideration of the families, employees, and community members who will be directly affected by these decisions. We look forward to your timely response

Signed,

Signed by Little Kits families, staff supporters, and community members

CC: 

Bend Bulletin

KTVZ News

Central Oregon Daily News

The Source

Oregon Public Broadcasting

Bend Mayor Melanie Kebler

Deschutes County Commissioner Phil Chang

Deschutes County Commissioner Anthony DeBone

Deschutes County Commissioner Patti Adair

Oregon Representative Jason Kropf

Oregon Representative Emerson Levy

Oregon Senator Anthony Broadman

Oregon Governor Tina Kotek

U.S. Representative Janelle Bynum

U.S. Senator Ron Wyden

U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley