Dear Corporate Office of Everbrook Academy of Charlotte,

We are writing to you as a group of concerned and deeply invested parents whose children attend  Everbrook Academy of Charlotte- Oakhurst. Our families have entrusted you with the care and development of our most precious gifts—our children. Over the past months and especially this week, we have seen the loss of several exceptional teachers due to unlivable wages, and we are devastated. Five beloved teachers have left just this week alone. Their absence is already being deeply felt—not only by 
the staff scrambling to fill the gaps but also by our children, who are losing trusted caregivers and emotional anchors.

We are in the midst of a childcare staffing crisis here in North Carolina, and it is heartbreaking to see exceptional educators walk away simply because they cannot survive on Everbrook’s wages. We understand that wages for lead teachers at Everbrook may start around $17/hour, with assistants earning closer to $12–13/hour, based on recent job postings. While these rates may technically meet or slightly exceed some state averages, they are still not livable—especially in a growing city like Charlotte. 
According to MIT’s Living Wage Calculator, a single adult with one child in Mecklenburg County requires around $18–19/hour just to meet basic needs. Even your most experienced staff are being asked to do emotionally demanding, high-responsibility work without fair, sustainable compensation.

Our teachers are earning far below market standards. The Charlotte average for early childhood educators is $16.06/hour, and the state average is $14.51/hour. These wages are not just uncompetitive — they are 
unsustainable. It’s hard to reconcile this with the fact that Everbrook is backed by a private equity firm, where executive profits appear to be prioritized over fair, livable wages for frontline staff. Despite Everbrook’s marketing of “strong teacher-to-student ratios,” the reality on the ground tells a different story. Staffing shortages have left classrooms stretched thin, and many families now face the unnerving possibility of being turned away at drop-off because the center has hit capacity. At the same 
time, families are paying among the highest tuition rates in the area, with little transparency into how those funds are allocated—especially when the very people holding this program together are underpaid and overextended. Quality, safety, and trust cannot be maintained without investing in the people who make it all work: your teachers.

The Reality:

•  $12–14/hour for assistants and ~$17/hour for teachers still falls below a livable wage for Charlotte’s cost of living, particularly for caregivers with families of their own.
• Many of your competitors and peer schools are raising wages and offering retention bonuses to hold on to talent—and it’s working.
• Turnover and burnout are at crisis levels nationwide, and unless wages are addressed, Everbrook will continue to lose talented educators to other industries or better-paying schools.

We love our daycare and the structure and values it offers our families. But the true heart of this center is its teachers. No amount of toys, technology, or polished marketing can replace the safety, love, and emotional development that these educators provide. Without them, there is no program.

We urge you to take immediate action:

1. Raise teacher and assistant wages to a competitive, livable level for the Charlotte market.
2. Offer retention bonuses or loyalty incentives for teachers who have stayed and supported the center through this turbulent period.
3. Increase transparency around how tuition dollars are being allocated—especially as it pertains to wages and staffing investments.
4. Allow parents to support your efforts through fundraising, sponsorship, or other community driven initiatives to improve teacher compensation and morale.

Our daycare should be a place where teachers want to build their careers—not a steppingstone to more sustainable employment elsewhere. We want Everbrook to succeed and thrive. But for that to happen, you must invest in the people who make it all possible—your teachers. They deserve better. Our children deserve better.

Please note: this letter was created and organized solely by parents. The staff and teachers at Everbrook had no involvement in its writing or delivery. We stand in solidarity with our educators, and we  respectfully ask that you do the same—with meaningful action, not just words.

Sincerely,
The undersigned parents of Everbrook Academy Charlotte