Orange Coast College VP of Student Services Shockingly Announces Shuttering of Children's Center

On February 21, 2025, parents of students enrolled at the Harry & Grace Steele Children's Center at Orange Coast College were notified by email late Friday night of impending layoffs and classroom closures. Parents and Children's Center staff alike were stunned at the lack of notice, communication, transparency, collaboration efforts, and negligence encapsulated in this impersonal correspondence. Despite mention of attempts to find alternatives to these cuts, prioritizing OCC's college students and fiscal sustainability, an investigative cohort of parents, current and former staff, and community members instinctively began to dig deeper.

This email, quoted below, is what kicked off a weeks-long effort to uncover the real situation and find a true solution. And we have.

Date: February 21, 2025 at 7:12:44 PM PST

Subject: Important Update on OCC Harry & Grace Steele Children's Center Operations

Dear Parents and Families of the OCC Harry & Grace Steele Children’s Center:

I am writing to inform you about an important update regarding the operations of the OCC Children’s Center. As you may know, Orange Coast College is actively working to address ongoing budgetary challenges by making necessary adjustments to certain operations, while maintaining the least impact to students. After careful consideration, the College has made the difficult decision to reduce its services at the Children’s Center. Effective July 1, 2025, the Center will offer only two preschool classrooms. Unfortunately, the College will no longer offer Infant, Toddler, or Pre-K classes. Please know that this decision was not made lightly. Before reaching this decision, we thoroughly explored multiple alternatives, including:

• Pursuing potential partnerships.

• Adjusting tuition rates to help with operational costs.

• Reviewing opportunities for funding through applicable state and federal programs.

• Allocating college funds to the Center to offset the financial shortfall.

Despite these efforts, reducing services has become necessary to maintain the fiscal stability of the Center. We recognize the impact this decision may have on families, and we are committed to providing as much support as possible during this transition. Enrollment priority for the remaining two preschool classrooms will be given to the children of the individuals in the following order:

1. Student-parents

2. College employees

3. Community members and families.

While the Center would not be able to offer automatic reenrollment to all who are currently enrolled in these classes, you may contact Rochelle Santacruz at rsantacruz@occ.cccd.edu or 714-432-5519 to inquire further about reenrollment or waitlist.

We appreciate your partnership and understanding as we continue to make decisions that will sustain and strengthen Orange Coast College for years to come.

Sincerely,

Dr. Madjid Niroumand

Vice President of Student Services

Orange Coast College

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