Friends of Annie’s Place,
It is with tremendous sadness that I share this difficult news. Annie’s Place will be closing after ten years of serving the DFW community. Effective January 22, we will no longer operate the childcare center and will wind down our at-home nanny program by February 1, 2025.
This decision did not come easily. Over the past year, we have been working through several challenges that have proved insurmountable. While I can’t share every detail with you, what I can tell you is this:
● The organization began to experience financial challenges in 2023. While this is not uncommon in the nonprofit sector, particularly for childcare facilities, the challenges were significant enough to require adjustments.
● In mid-2024, our founder stepped back to focus on her health, and I took on the role of interim and then permanent CEO, taking on these financial challenges. These past six months have been profoundly meaningful as I worked with our team to stabilize the organization.
● With the help of our amazing staff, board and many of you, I was able to implement the necessary changes that put us on a positive trajectory. But sadly, certain grants we had planned for didn’t materialize, leaving us with no other choice but to now close our doors.
Annie’s 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. We are deeply appreciative of your support and encouragement over the past ten years, especially in these last six months as we tried to overcome these financial difficulties.
Since our founding ten years ago, Annie’s Place has been there for families when they needed it most. Through our drop-in childcare center, our at-home nanny program, and play therapy, we’ve been able to:
● Serve 1,432 families and 1,808 children.
● Make it possible for 14,832 medical appointments to be kept.
● Provide over 74,000 hours of childcare service so families can get the care they need.
● Serve 43 families with 196 children for nearly 27,000 hours of care in their own homes during times of medical crisis.
Annie’s Place has always been about more than childcare. It’s about community, compassion, and the belief that no family should have to choose between access to healthcare and quality childcare.
As we close this chapter, I want to thank each of you, the Board of Directors and especially the dedicated Annie’s Place team for the amazing work they have done and the generosity of spirit they have shown. Your belief in our mission has made everything we’ve accomplished possible. It is our sincere hope that other childcare agencies will rise up to fill the very real, and deep gap that our departure leaves.
The legacy of Annie’s Place will live on in the families we’ve uplifted, the children we have cared for and the love we’ve shared. I will carry that with me always, and I hope you will too.
With gratitude,
Laura Rhoden
Chief Executive Officer
