A unique center that offered child care services for patients and staff at Parkland Health in Dallas has shuttered.
Annie's Place announced its abrupt closure last week in a post and the organization's website. The Dallas Morning News on the announcement.
The nonprofit offered child care services in the community for over a decade. The organization opened its Parkland Health location in 2020 for patient families and eventually children of Parkland employees.
Laura Rhoden, Annie鈥檚 Place CEO, wrote in that the organization experienced 鈥渋nsurmountable鈥� challenges, including financial troubles that began in 2023. Grants the organization鈥檚 staff anticipated fell through.
鈥淎nnie鈥檚 Place has been a lifeline for patient families at Parkland for their childcare needs, and for homebound parents who have needed stable, loving childcare for extended periods of time,鈥� Rhoden wrote.
四虎影院 has reached out to Annie鈥檚 Place for further comment.
Child care operations at Annie鈥檚 Place ended Wednesday. The organization will wind down its at-home nanny program by Feb. 1.
Annie鈥檚 Place services kept nearly 15,000 medical appointments from being canceled due to lack of child care over the past decade, according to Rhoden鈥檚 announcement, and served 1,432 families.
The center was the only agency in the country that provided free drop-in child care services to low- and moderate-income families, according to the . A 2020 survey of Parkland Health clinics found that lack of child care was the most frequent reason for
鈥淎nnie鈥檚 place has always been about more than childcare," Rhoden wrote. "It鈥檚 about community, compassion, and the belief that no family should have to choose between access to healthcare and quality childcare.鈥�
The closure comes months after founder and CEO Natalie Boyle stepped down for health reasons.
Parkland Health has set up temporary child care services for employees and said it will search for a new vendor to operate the space, Parkland Health spokesperson Wendi Hawthorne wrote in a statement. Drop-in services for patients will resume when the county hospital system finds a new vendor.
鈥淲e are committed to providing a childcare option for campus employees and eligible patients,鈥� Hawthorne said.
Got a tip? Email Kailey Broussard at kbroussard@kera.org.
四虎影院 is made possible through the generosity of our members. If you find this reporting valuable, consider Thank you.
