A human services non-profit abruptly ceased childcare services operations in Camden earlier this week, citing financial difficulties.
The closure came just days after the organization, Respond, Inc., underwent inspections, according to a statement posted to the organization’s website on Friday.
“The decision to cease operations at Respond, Inc.’s Child Development Centers was made jointly by the organization’s Board of Directors and executive leadership following careful review of Respond’s financial position and operational capacity,” Michael Butch, president of Respond, Inc.’s board of directors, and Vance Lofton, the organization’s executive director, said in a statement.
“This decision was not unilateral or impulsive,” the announcement said. “It was the result of serious deliberation and reflects the Board’s fiduciary responsibility to ensure the safety of children, the protection of staff, and the responsible stewardship of the organization.”
The statement added that “continuing operations without the ability to reliably meet payroll obligations, maintain required insurance coverage, and ensure fully compliant learning environments would have placed children, families, and staff at unacceptable risk.”
Respond is a non-profit, primarily funded by public sources, that provides childcare, housing assistance and other services to the Camden Community.
“Effective immediately, Respond, Inc. has ceased all childcare operations,” the organization’s executive director, Lofton said in an email Tuesday.
“Yesterday, I met with the board of directors to confront the organization’s current financial and operational realities. Despite sustained efforts to keep Respond operating, it became clear that continuing childcare services without the ability to do so responsibly was no longer possible,” Lofton explained.
Respond is one of many childcare service providers that partners with the Camden City School District to provide services.
A spokesperson for the district confirmed that Respond notified them about the decision to close their childcare operations on Jan. 13.
“As soon as we were made aware, our Early Childhood Department moved quickly to support impacted families,” the district’s spokesperson, Sheena Yera, told NJ Advance Media on Friday. “District staff contacted every affected family directly the same day and offered immediate placement in one of our district-run early childhood programs.”
The district held open houses and met with families for on-the-spot enrollments, including meeting with families the very next day, to ensure instructional time was not lost, Yera explained.
“At this time, the Camden City School District still has available seats in our early childhood programs and remains committed to making this transition as smooth as possible for students and families,” Yera said.
Respond’s childcare location on State Street in Camden was locked on Friday, with a security door pulled down and padlocked, and a playground on the side of the building empty.
The non-profit operated three childcare centers in Camden’s Fairview neighborhood, North Camden and another facility on Bank Street.
Respond logged a more than $282,000 operating loss last year, according to the non-profit’s 2024 tax filings, and was primarily funded through about $6.1 million in government grants.
The organization received additional funding through donations, according to tax documents.
It was unclear from tax documents whether the grants were from federal, state, county or local sources.
The childcare program generated just over $111,000 in revenue in 2024, far below the organization’s $282,000 operating loss that year, according to tax documents.
The non-profit served over 375 children in Camden, including 125 toddlers and infants, and 250 pre-schoolers, 2024 tax documents show. Respond also provided hundreds of thousands of meals to kids in their programs per year, according to tax filings.
Lofton’s salary in 2024 was $123,457, tax documents show.
Lofton sent an email to staff notifying them about planned inspections on Monday and Tuesday and said that no staff were scheduled to work those days, according to snapshots of emails shared with NJ Advance Media.
But on Tuesday, staff received a different email explaining that where staff could pick up separation packets and personal belongings.
“Please know this: this decision is not a reflection of your work, your commitment, or the care you showed our children and families,” Lofton wrote in his email to staff.
Respond Inc., a non-profit in Camden ceased providing childcare services on Tuesday, leaving many families confused by the abrupt decision.Matthew Enuco