Praying for Their Paychecks
Just three months after a private Christian school in Plano abruptly closed its doors, the nonprofit’s day care has similarly shuttered, once again leaving former staff saying they are short thousands of dollars.
Enrollment dwindled at The Nest Daycare and Preschool in downtown Plano after its parent nonprofit organization, New Hope Education, closed its K-12 school in the middle of the fall semester. Parents at the grade school, New Hope Christian Academy, say they were overcharged tuition and teachers reported missing pay.
A Jan. 28 letter announced the day care’s last day would be Feb. 14. The day care cared for nearly 200 children at its peak, said Jamael Graves, who was hired as a contractor for school development at New Hope Christian Academy, which closed Nov. 8.
The Education Lab
Receive our in-depth coverage of education issues and stories that affect North Texans.
Praying for Their Paychecks
When nursery teacher Mary Catherine Landry, 28, stopped getting regular paychecks from the day care last summer, she cut spending and started going to food pantries. A single mom, she began working at The Nest in February and her son, 2, attended the day care. She quit in November after going without pay for about a month — a sum totaling about $2,000.
"It was very sad to see people praying for their paychecks," Landry said.
Instead of paying workers through direct deposit, the school handed out checks. Some of those checks bounced. Landry was told she’ll get her missing pay once the organization sells off some of its items. DeeDee Mims posted tables, chairs, and school equipment for sale on Facebook.
Heart Was There, But the Money Wasn’t
Graves, 33, is a pastor in The Colony and was hired to help develop New Hope’s middle and high school operations from August 2022 to July 2024. He left early, in February.
"They took on more than they could chew," said Graves, whose three children attended the organization’s academy and day care.
The Financial Strains
New Hope Education Inc.’s tax forms show declining assets in recent years. The nonprofit organization started summer 2022 with nearly $340,000 in total assets and ended May 2023 with about $67,000, according to its last published tax form. Its liabilities increased over the year, and by May 2023, the nonprofit had more than negative $830,000 in net assets.
While the organization’s total revenue increased from $1.26 million in 2022 to $1.68 million in 2023, total expenses increased much faster, from $1.2 million in 2022 to nearly $2.1 million in 2023.
The Closures
In an email from DeeDee Mims, she referenced the pandemic and the school’s move to more expensive quarters in West Plano as financial strains. In other emails, she said the day care was negotiating with a potential investor but a deal fell through.
Graves himself loaned Mims money to try to help the school, and said he even drove the school bus for free. He hasn’t gotten his loan back, he said.
Mims tried to pay staff more than a typical Christian school, Graves said, and would give families discounts on tuition. Graves advised Mims to close the school before the academic year began. They opened anyway, and he believes the motivation was pride.
"Her heart was there," Graves said, "but the money wasn’t."
FAQs
Q: What happened to the day care?
A: The day care, The Nest Daycare and Preschool, closed its doors in February after its parent nonprofit organization, New Hope Education, closed its K-12 school in November.
Q: Why did the day care close?
A: The day care closed due to financial strains, including declining assets and increasing liabilities.
Q: What happened to the teachers?
A: Teachers reported missing paychecks and were told they would receive their missing pay once the organization sells off some of its items.
Q: What happened to the school’s assets?
A: The school’s assets declined from nearly $340,000 in summer 2022 to about $67,000 in May 2023, according to its last published tax form.
