Horry County Daycare Center Told to Shut Down After Nearly Three Decades of Operation

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Horry County, South Carolina

A longstanding daycare in Aynor is scrambling for solutions to keep their business alive after receiving an official notice to vacate their current premises before the month ends. The Salem Baptist Church Daycare Center, which has been serving the community for nearly 40 years, has been ordered to shut down by the end of July.

The daycare center, situated within a building owned by Salem Baptist Church, is operated by Kimberly Hucks. According to Hucks, the church issued a written notice announcing the discontinuation of the daycare center’s operations. The daycare center currently has 26 children enrolled and is staffed by six dedicated employees.

Devastating News

“It’s heartbreaking,” Hucks said, “Having to face these children, knowing the truth. I tried to look away, but the more I thought about it, the more hurt I felt.”

Although the letter provided by the church did not articulate the reasons behind forcing the center to close, late afternoon on Tuesday, the church’s Senior Pastor, Randy Hilburn, spoke to HERE News Network about some of the factors that led to this decision.

Securing the Building’s Future

“We are truly saddened by this situation,” Pastor Hilburn commented. “This decision was not made lightly.” Citing necessary renovations and security upgrades as some of the reasons for the closure, Hilburn stated, “It’s unfortunate that this matter has become public. We initially thought it was an internal church issue. However, social media has taken it in its own direction, leading to a lot of backlash against us.”

Pastor Hilburn went on to expand on the building’s need for repair and renovation. “There are rooms that are currently off-limits due to the building’s deteriorating condition. One room, in particular, cannot be accessed because the floor is completely rotted out.”

Impact on the Families

This unexpected closure has left many families scrambling to find alternatives for their child care needs. Lacy Hatley, who has two young children enrolled at the daycare, reached out to HERE News Network in the hope that the daycare could be moved to a new location or the church would grant an extension to the vacate notice.

“It’s incredibly difficult to secure a spot in child care centers around here,” Hatley expressed. “At this point, I am even considering quitting my job to take care of my children.”

Lacy Hatley explained the far-reaching consequences this closure will have on her family. “We would essentially be living on my husband’s income. It’s terrifying to think about supporting three children and myself with a single income, especially when we’re used to living off two incomes,” said Hatley.

Looking Forward

Hucks is working tirelessly to find another location for the daycare, all while hoping the state of South Carolina can assist in this process. “If we can secure a new venue, we would just relocate to another facility. With that, they would give us six months to comply,” said Hucks.

Whilst there remains uncertainty about the future usage of the space after renovations are complete, Pastor Hilburn hopes it can continue to serve the children and youth of the community.

“We sincerely apologize and wish the situation could be different, but our hands are tied at this moment,” Pastor Hilburn concluded. The following four weeks will serve as a transition period, with their last official business day set to be July 26.

Source: HERE News Network

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