Families in Camden left reeling after Respond Inc. child care centers suddenly close

CAMDEN, N.J. (WPVI) -- Families and employees are left reeling and scrambling to find a plan B after so much of what they depended on was suddenly taken away.

"I was so shocked, I didn't understand," said Rachel Gaines, a parent, whose child was enrolled at Respond Inc. Child Development. All three daycare centers in Camden, New Jersey, have closed without warning.

"We went on a Christmas break just three weeks ago. You could have just told us not to come back then," said Albert Hunt, a parent.

Employees say they learned of the closure through an email earlier this week, a message that upended their livelihoods in an instant.

"I have bills to pay, you know. What am I going to do?" said Nancy Maldonado, a teacher's aide.

The sudden closure didn't just stun families and staff: even the Camden City School District says it was caught off guard.

"Like many in the community, the district was surprised by the organization's abrupt closure. As soon as we were made aware, our Early Childhood Department moved quickly to support impacted families," the district said in a statement.

For staff, the loss goes far beyond a paycheck.

"I have a bond with the kids, and the staff, we're a family, I can't emphasize that enough," said Maldonado.

In a joint statement from the Board of Directors and Executive Leadership of Respond, Inc., the organization says the decision was not unilateral or impulsive, saying:

It was the result of serious deliberation and reflects the Board's fiduciary responsibility to ensure the safety of children, the protection of staff, and the responsible stewardship of the organization. For more than 50 years, Respond has served Camden families with a deep commitment to early childhood education and community stability.

However, continuing operations without the ability to reliably meet payroll obligations, maintain required insurance coverage, and ensure fully compliant learning environments would have placed children, families, and staff at unacceptable risk.

Once it became clear that these conditions could not be met in a sustainable way, the Board and executive leadership determined that halting operations was the only responsible course of action.

We recognize the disruption and hardship this decision has caused for families, staff, and our public partners, including the Camden City School District and the City of Camden. These concerns are valid and are taken seriously.

Respond, Inc. is cooperating fully with public agencies and partners and remains committed to transparency, accountability, and clear communication during this transition.

But parents say the way the closure was handled made an already painful situation even worse.

"If they cared anything about the children, you wouldn't have abruptly closed the centers down," said Hunt.