EL PASO, Texas ( KTSM ) – Family-owned Little Footsteps Daycare and Learning Center will be shutting its doors on Nov. 27, after nearly two decades in business, and the owner said it is due to challenges most privately owned daycares are likely facing.
“I think a lot of daycares – and they might not admit it – but I think a lot of us are struggling, with low enrollment and the high cost of groceries. The same obstacles that we faced, I think are being felt across the board,” said Blanca Gonzalez, the owner of Little Footsteps.
Gonzalez said they opened the daycare center 18 years ago with the idea of having a place to care for their own four children, instead of having to pay for a separate daycare center.
Gonzalez said that they have been in a constant state of having to increase their rates and that finally forced them to have to close down.
“It’s been a very difficult decision (to close). All of our staff is like family to us. We can’t keep up with (inflation). We can’t raise our prices anymore. We’ve fallen into a vicious cycle where we can’t raise our prices because families can’t afford higher daycare rates. And so we’re kind of stuck in the middle,” Gonzalez said.