To the Editor, I am writing as a concerned parent to bring attention to the recent decision by the Eureka Springs School District to discontinue its After School Program as of Jan. 30, with only a few weeks’ notice to families.

There are two important facts the community should be aware of.

First, the Eureka Springs Community Center successfully operated an After School Program for many years. It provided reliable, safe and structured care for children and meaningful support for working parents in our small town.

Second, the school district requested to take the program back over from the Community Center — only to close it a few months later. The result is a sudden loss of childcare for families in the middle of the school year, with little time to secure alternative arrangements.

For many families, after- E ditor school care is not a convenience; it is a necessity. Programs like this allow parents to maintain employment while ensuring their children are supervised in a safe environment. When such support disappears abruptly, families are left scrambling — facing potential job disruption, increased childcare costs and uncertainty about their children’s safety after school hours.

The district has stated that the program served a limited number of families. However, in a small community, even a dozen families represents a meaningful impact. These are real parents and children affected by this decision.

This situation raises reasonable questions about planning, transparency, and whether alternative solutions — such as continuing the program through the end of the school year or partnering again with the Community Center — could have been explored.

Our community values its schools and understands the importance of fiscal responsibility. At the same time, supporting working families directly supports students’ stability and success. Many parents simply ask for thoughtful transition planning and open communication when changes of this magnitude are made.

— Submitted by a concerned parent in Eureka Springs