{"id":510842,"date":"2026-01-12T12:53:40","date_gmt":"2026-01-12T12:53:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/510842\/"},"modified":"2026-01-12T12:53:40","modified_gmt":"2026-01-12T12:53:40","slug":"parents-fear-closing-of-good-street-learning-center-as-leaders-push-to-stay-open","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/510842\/","title":{"rendered":"Parents fear closing of Good Street Learning Center as leaders push to stay open"},"content":{"rendered":"

For decades, families like Nasia Peterson\u2019s have cycled through Good Street Learning Center<\/a>, a South Dallas\/Fair Park child care center that working parents can afford at $90 to $134 a week. Her husband and their five children spent their early years there.<\/p>\n

But now, Peterson says the center could close soon. Center leaders dispute an immediate shutdown, saying they expect to stay open even as a funding crisis leaves the runway unclear. Parents say there\u2019s no comparable affordable option nearby, especially for families who rely on public transit.<\/p>\n

Center director Gwendolyn Sneed says they are fighting to remain open, pointing to pending grants and a push to rebuild their board. <\/p>\n

But Sneed also acknowledges leadership cannot promise what will happen after January. \u201cI don\u2019t know about 2026,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

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The numbers are stark: Enrollment is down to 15 children against a licensed capacity of 100. Staffing is down to two teachers from a pre\u2011pandemic total of nine. The center is scrambling for operating cash while recruiting a hands\u2011on board to help with grants, sponsorships and staffing. Dallas ISD provides Good Street an annual $23,000 stipend through its pre\u2011K partnership.<\/p>\n

Founded in 1952 as a church\u2011run child care ministry, the center operates in a church\u2011owned building. The church does not charge rent, but leaders say upkeep falls on the center.<\/p>\n

Good Street Learning has applied for funding from The Crystal Charity Ball<\/a> in Dallas and H-E-B\u2019s Community Investment Program<\/a>, Sneed said. She says the award decisions won\u2019t occur until February or March.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat first quarter of 2026 would be pretty much a defining time for us,\u201d board chair Jasper Daniels said. \u201cWe will know for sure whether or not we\u2019re going to get the necessary assistance.\u201d<\/p>\n

The center\u2019s origin<\/p>\n

The purpose of the center is clear: to ensure \u201cthe working poor in South Dallas will have a place to put their children and keep them on a daily basis, [and] teach them something while they go to work,\u201d Daniels said.<\/p>\n

According to center leaders and the organization\u2019s published history<\/a>, Good Street\u2019s child care ministry began under the Rev. C.A.W. Clark Sr. with trustees, deacons and church members. <\/p>\n

\"Toddlers<\/p>\n

Toddlers teacher Angela Nails holds 1-year-old Jayden White\u2019s hand while a group of students walks to class at Good Street Learning Center, Inc. on Dec. 16, 2025, in Dallas.<\/p>\n

Angela Piazza \/ Staff Photographer<\/p>\n

An advisory committee chaired by Dr. B.E. Dade, with early childhood specialist Willene Dade as a resource, set standards around space, safety, sanitation, nutrition and staff training, and secured the city of Dallas operations permit in 1952.<\/p>\n

The program has operated at the same site since then, originally at the Watson Memorial Mission on what was then Hatcher Street, Sneed said. In 1992, it moved into the new C.A.W. Clark Community Center built on that property, she said. The city later renamed the street Elsie Faye Heggins<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Sneed has led the center since October 2001, expanding partnerships such as Educational First Steps, Child Care Group, prekindergarten programs with Dallas ISD<\/a>, and accreditation with the National Accreditation Commission for Early Care and Education Programs.<\/p>\n

\"Jayden<\/p>\n

Jayden White, 1, climbs low shelves in the toddlers classroom before morning prayers at Good Street Learning Center, Inc. on Dec. 16, 2025, in Dallas.<\/p>\n

Angela Piazza \/ Staff Photographer<\/p>\n

Leaders and parents describe multiple generations of families continuing to enroll their children at the center, which has served over 2,000 students, ages 18 months to 12 years old. <\/p>\n

The center is also four-star certified with the Texas Rising Star<\/a> program. That\u2019s the highest assessment level available through criteria like teacher-child interactions and program management.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t have to do a lot of marketing, because we\u2019re serving third- and fourth-generation family members,\u201d Sneed said. \u201cEven now, the children that we have, they\u2019ve had family members that have come through.\u201d<\/p>\n

The center\u2019s challenges<\/p>\n

The center\u2019s issues began when they closed for a week during the pandemic, Sneed said. Some of their staff members contracted coronavirus and didn\u2019t come back. <\/p>\n

Without as many teachers, the center can\u2019t serve as many students, Sneed said. But without enough students, the center lacks the funding from tuition to pay staff. <\/p>\n

The center also competes with Dallas ISD\u2019s free pre\u2011K programs, even though it formed a pre\u2011K partnership with the district in 2008.<\/p>\n

\"Toddlers<\/p>\n

Toddlers teacher Angela Nails lists off books of the Bible with students at Good Street Learning Center, Inc. on Dec. 16, 2025, in Dallas.<\/p>\n

Angela Piazza \/ Staff Photographer<\/p>\n

\u201cSeveral years ago when they started taking 4-year-olds, we lost our 4-year-old population,\u201d Sneed said. \u201cSo then they came up with the partnership where the children could come here.\u201d<\/p>\n

The school district now enrolls 3- and 4-year-olds into free pre-K programs, Sneed said. But \u201cthat\u2019s cutting right into the heart of early care and education\u201d for the center, which can only charge parents for after-school or extended care services since DISD covers the core school hours, she said.<\/p>\n

Dallas ISD provides an annual funding stipend of $23,000 to Good Street as part of its pre\u2011K partnership with the center, according to a Friday evening statement from Dallas ISD spokesperson Nina Lakhiani. She said the district does not have discretionary or board\u2011directed funding available, and that contracts executed after the district\u2019s budget is set at the start of the fiscal year cannot be amended.<\/p>\n

If Good Street reduces capacity or closes, Lakhiani said, the district will guide families through transfers to nearby options, including Joseph J. Rhoads Learning Center and Charles Rice Learning Center.<\/p>\n

For the center\u2019s leadership, the crisis at Good Street Learning is intertwined with challenges facing Good Street Baptist Church<\/a>. Daniels, the board chair, said he sent letters to the church pastor, deacons and trustees to seek financial assistance and help finding grant writers, fundraisers<\/a> and marketers.<\/p>\n

\u201cA large portion of the expenses at the C.A.W. Clark Community Center is paid by the Learning Center, thus at the demise of the Learning Center, the Social Service Center could become collateral damage,\u201d according to Daniels\u2019 April 2024 letter.<\/p>\n

\"Director<\/p>\n

Director Gwendolyn Sneed flips through letters of endorsement from parents of students at Good Street Learning Center, Inc. on Dec. 16, 2025, in Dallas. The learning center, a nonprofit, is at risk of closing in 2026 due to funding difficulties.<\/p>\n

Angela Piazza \/ Staff Photographer<\/p>\n

The pandemic also hurt churches. Good Street Baptist lost members to COVID, including one of the center\u2019s board members and another church member who used to help the center, Sneed said.<\/p>\n

Leaders frame the next steps as a joint push: Stabilize staffing, rebuild the hands\u2011on board, secure grants, and address facility needs while keeping families served. Keeping Good Street open could also require five new full\u2011time caregivers, plus support staff and funds for security and building upkeep, Sneed said.<\/p>\n

\u2018A generational place\u2019<\/p>\n

If Good Street Learning closes, it would become the latest<\/a> in a wave of Texas child care closures since the pandemic. <\/p>\n

State Sen. Royce West, D-Dallas, told The Dallas Morning News last year that over 5,000 child care centers<\/a> have closed in Texas since the pandemic. That trickles down to a loss of nearly 75,000<\/a> child care seats in 2024 alone, according to the advocacy nonprofit Children at Risk.<\/p>\n

At Good Street, families and teachers describe the stakes in stark terms: affordability, access and stability for their kids.<\/p>\n

\"Brenda<\/p>\n

Brenda Holmes pulls the door open for daughter Aniyah Cossey, center, and granddaughter Ariel Holmes-Aguora while taking the 3-year-olds to their toddlers class at Good Street Learning Center, Inc. on Dec. 16, 2025, in Dallas.<\/p>\n

Angela Piazza \/ Staff Photographer<\/p>\n

\u201cThis child care center is the only child care center that working parents can afford to pay out of pocket,\u201d Peterson said.<\/p>\n

If a working parent can\u2019t afford to put their kids in child care, then they\u2019re at risk of losing their job, Peterson said. That means they\u2019re at risk of losing their home and having to decide if they should feed themselves, or save money to pay rent, she said.<\/p>\n

Brenda Holmes said the center provides exceptional care, including providing meals and teaching manners, hygiene and respect to her adopted daughter and granddaughter.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s just like you\u2019re taking your child to your grandmother\u2019s place,\u201d Holmes said.<\/p>\n

Rikki Bonet, a pre-K teacher at Good Street, has been teaching since 2000 and has been at Good Street for nine years. She transitioned there after her previous employers downsized.<\/p>\n

\"Pre-k<\/p>\n

Pre-k teacher Rikki Bonet sets up a container of water and floating toys for students Toraj Russ, 3, and Aziza Fabien, 3, to play with at Good Street Learning Center, Inc. on Dec. 16, 2025, in Dallas.<\/p>\n

Angela Piazza \/ Staff Photographer<\/p>\n

Surrounded by students on a recent morning, Bonet said her Good Street students have a \u201c100% readiness\u201d rate for transitioning to kindergarten.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a generational place people love because you get an education along with the devotion, the church side,\u201d Bonet said. \u201c…I just really hope it doesn\u2019t close, because I love it here.\u201d<\/p>\n

This reporting is part of the Future of North Texas, a community-funded journalism initiative supported by the Commit Partnership, Communities Foundation of Texas, The Dallas Foundation, the Dallas Mavericks, the Dallas Regional Chamber, Deedie Rose, Lisa and Charles Siegel, the McCune-Losinger Family Fund, The Meadows Foundation, the Perot Foundation, the United Way of Metropolitan Dallas and the University of Texas at Dallas. The News retains full editorial control of this coverage.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"For decades, families like Nasia Peterson\u2019s have cycled through Good Street Learning Center, a South Dallas\/Fair Park child…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":510843,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5135],"tags":[5229,1596,63304,407,21678,14055,23581,14053,14054,358,3187,67,586,132,5230,68,2969],"class_list":{"0":"post-510842","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-dallas","8":"tag-america","9":"tag-dallas","10":"tag-early-childhood-education","11":"tag-education","12":"tag-equity","13":"tag-future-of-north-texas","14":"tag-future-of-north-texas-workforce","15":"tag-south-dallas","16":"tag-southern-dallas","17":"tag-texas","18":"tag-tx","19":"tag-united-states","20":"tag-united-states-of-america","21":"tag-unitedstates","22":"tag-unitedstatesofamerica","23":"tag-us","24":"tag-usa"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115882230163813365","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/510842","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=510842"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/510842\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/510843"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=510842"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=510842"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=510842"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}