Last week, out of the blue, Smith College informed its staff at Fort Hill, a childcare center that has been a part of the child-rearing landscape of Northampton for a century, that it would cease to exist as of June 4. Twenty minutes later, parents of current students were informed. Apparently, there had been no consultation with any members of staff, or with parents of attending children, or with Smith students who work and train there.
Announcement of this destruction, which Smith described as a “transition,” was followed by the assurance that the college will communicate with all those thunderstruck by the news “with transparency, care, and respect.” Meanwhile, on Smith’s website, we read that the college’s central goals can only be realized “in an atmosphere of trust and respect.” It is a wild understatement to say that its behavior here promotes distrust and displays a lack of respect. Perhaps there is still time for Smith to reconsider its decision — if so, I strongly urge the college to seize that opportunity.
Alexander George
Northampton