Fredericksburg area parents got some good news Wednesday evening.
After learning last week that the KinderCare Kids’ Station facility would be shutting down at the end of May, families were notified last night that the daycare had reached an agreement with Mary Washington Healthcare allowing them to remain open.
The letter from Stacy Butler, KinderCare’s senior district letter, stated: “We are pleased to share that after additional consideration, MWHC extended the current location lease to KinderCare on the campus of Mary Washington Hospital. Kids’ Station will remain at its current location until a new home can be found. MWHC and KinderCare will also work together to find a new permanent location for the center near Mary Washington Hospital.” 
The announcement follows a week of letter-writing campaigns and social media activity by a resourceful group of parents who did not want to see the facility close. Many are now rushing to cancel appointments, enrollments and deposits made at other daycares.
Daeja Wilson, whose son Kayden attends the daycare, was overjoyed with the news.
“YESSSSS!!!! We did it!!,” Wilson wrote in an email to the Free Press. “The day before we got the news the parents were actually sitting outside the schools with posters and passing out the petition and cookies. We received word that a meeting would be held this week to discuss keeping the center open but were not expecting to hear anything until Friday.
“We are all so overwhelmed with joy. The Kids’ Station families and staff are currently looking to plan a big party to celebrate saving the school.”
Wilson said that looking for alternate arrangements proved both frustrating and alarming.
“Some parents even began putting in notices to their jobs, advising they would have to quit to ensure that their kids were taken care of,” Wilson wrote. “This is something that no parent or child should ever have to go through.”
