Parents react to Bright Horizons daycare changes at Augusta Health

AUGUSTA COUNTY, Va. (WVIR) -Parents in the Shenandoah Valley are voicing frustration after learning that the Augusta Health Childcare Center, Bright Horizons, will no longer be open to the public.

Hospital administrators confirmed that the facility will transition to serve only Augusta Health employees in the coming months. The decision, they said, stems from ongoing staffing shortages and a desire to better support the hospital’s workforce.

Families currently enrolled at Bright Horizons have until February 1, 2026, to secure new childcare arrangements — a process many say is proving difficult mid-school year.

Jacie Grant, whose toddler attends the center, said families understand the hospital’s need to prioritize employees but wish the change had been handled differently.

“The majority, if not all, of the families support if this decision needs to be made going forward — to do it going forward, not to remove our kids in the middle of the school year to find care, which is impossible to find,” Grant said.

Another parent, Meghan Yeatts, described the announcement as “pure devastation.”

“We have now missed an opportunity to enroll our son in another program,” she said.

Augusta Health held a town hall on October 21 to address questions and concerns from affected families.

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