Speaking at a news conference over Zoom Monday, USI President Ron Rochon says the Children's Learning Center facility is not up to safety standards and fixing it is too expensive.
“We can no longer put a bandaid on this facility. There are safety issues that need to be addressed.”
Rochon says that cost estimate for a new daycare is about $10 million.
Another aspect of the decision is that since the learning center has been closed due to the pandemic, they haven't been able to get additional children signed up for the fall.
Twenty-one children will be affected. USI officials are working with 4C of Southern Indiana to try to get placement for the affected children.
Seven employees will be affected. The learning center had also been a place for early childhood education majors at USI to get experience. Officials will be looking for placement opportunities for those students as well.
