*Any donations submitted here are going straight to change.org, not the organizers*

To President Bradley, Provost Cardarelli, and the Board of Trustees of the University of Louisville:

We, the undersigned, are parents, UofL employees, UofL students, UofL alumni, Family Scholar House participants, and community members. The University of Louisville community depends on us for our work, our enrollments, and our support, and we depend on the Early Learning Campus (ELC).

We demand:

1. The reversal of the decision to close or withdraw management of the ELC.
2. Disclosure of the financial and administrative reasoning behind this decision to end management of the ELC, by March 9, 2026.
3. Collaborative communication with our core team and ELC staff representatives so that, if UofL withdraws from the ELC, there is dialogue with and support for affected parties.

Childcare is not a luxury benefit. It is infrastructure. And the ELC is not simply a daycare.

The ELC is one of a limited number of NAEYC-accredited early childhood programs in Louisville and has served families for 17 years as a model of high-quality education and community partnership at affordable rates. It supports student parents completing degrees, faculty and staff maintaining employment and productivity, Scholar House residents working toward economic mobility, and the Old Louisville neighborhood, which is already underserved in childcare access.

The University has publicly celebrated the ELC as an example of educational excellence and community partnership. High-quality early childhood education is one of the strongest predictors of long-term academic and economic success. Institutions like the University of Louisville with a mission of "creating thriving futures for our students, our community and our society" cannot dismantle the systems that make this mission possible. Eliminating this significant childcare benefit contradicts the University’s stated commitments, and tarnishes its image as an institution that values its students, employees, partners, and community.

Kentucky is currently experiencing a childcare crisis, as waitlists are months to a year long. As of 2025 data, approximately 145,000 formal daycare spots existed for 201,000 children under age 5 who need childcare. ELC families were only given four months’ notice of this potential closure, for which operation is not even guaranteed, as ELC staff understandably look for new jobs.

Here is what happens if the ELC closes: Student retention will suffer. Employee recruitment and retention will suffer. Working parents will be forced out of roles as they scramble to provide for their children at home during the daycare lapse. Working parents will be steered to more expensive child care options, further straining household budgets. Children will lose continuity in stable, developmentally critical care. UofL employees at the ELC will lose their jobs. The University’s reputation as a community-engaged institution will be damaged.

The Early Learning Campus, its workers, and childcare for UofL students and employees are not expendable. They are essential.

We urge the University of Louisville to act in alignment with its 2026-30 Strategic Plan and its Connect, Discover, Learn, and Work Pillar goals.

Signature names will not be released publicly or online but will be included on a paper copy of this petition delivered to UofL administration.

*Any donations submitted here are going straight to change.org, not the organizers*