KYLE, Texas (KXAN) – Families in Kyle are scrambling to find child care after a program provided by First Baptist Church Kyle announced its closing.

“Shock, disbelief, a little bit of panic, right? Because now, where are we going to put our child?” said parent, Abigail Silva.

Her daughter attends the Mother’s Day Out Program offered at the church.

“It allows families to have part time child care at an affordable rate and it’s Christian based,” Silva said.

She was planning on sending her youngest there as well, but that’s not possible anymore.

Now, she worries her family will go from paying around $400 a month to double that.

“For a lot of families $1,100…$800, you know, a month that’s a mortgage payment to a lot of families, that’s car payments,” Silva said.

Along with the financial factor, she’s concerned about the availability of child care with waitlists.

“When are they going to be able to get them in? Is it going to be one kid? Both kids?” Silva asked.

How do teachers feel?

Teachers KXAN spoke with said they are disheartened by the news.

One teacher, who wishes to remain anonymous, wrote “The MDO staff at the First Baptist Church in Kyle would like the community to know that we love serving the families and children that are a part of the program. We are trusting God for a positive outcome and for His plan for the future of the MDO program here in Kyle.”

Another teacher said this program is vital for the community. She wrote, “As a staff, we stand in the gap for our families. For whatever reason they seek care, whether it be for work, household duties, personal care, etc. We are there to partner with them.”

What is the church’s reason?

First Baptist Church Kyle would not take any questions from KXAN, but it did provide a statement.

“As a small church with limited resources for ministry, a business decision was made to close down our Mother’s Day Out Program so that we can focus on outreach and growth to meet the Spiritual needs of our worship community here in Hays County. Although we are saddened at the impact this closing of MDO will have on the families that we were privileged to serve, we feel that this is a necessary reallocation of our resources to enable us to better accomplish the mission of the church as we grow and require more space for our other ministries.”

First Baptist Church Kyle

Still, Silva is holding out hope the church will change its mind. But if not, she said she’d at least like a sufficient amount of time to find alternative child care.

“Allow a grace period for families and teachers to transition out,” Silva said.

The church said it does not have a date yet for when it will officially close the program. They expect to announce that in the coming weeks.