Fay Biccard Glick Neighborhood Center to close Aug. 15

The Fay Biccard Glick Neighborhood Center in northwest Indianapolis will close Aug. 15 due to financial challenges caused by overspending.

In a written statement, the center’s board of directors said the closure would be temporary, but a reopening date has not been selected.

The board said it is working with families, local child care programs, the United Way of Central Indiana and other partners to connect families with child care alternatives.

The center at 2990 W. 71st St. will close its child care center Aug. 15. This comes after a series of changes made this summer.

The board announced a leadership change in June with its executive director, Patrice Duckett-Brown, leaving the center. In July, the board made other service cuts and staff reductions.

In its statement, the board said it expects these changes will help the center reestablish itself financially.

“We can confirm at this point the center is experiencing financial challenges primarily from overstaffing and overextending financially to help the more than 300+ families and neighbors we serve monthly,” the board said in its written statement. “The board’s information to date asserts that the financial challenges stem from an intense passion to serve as many families as possible.”

It’s unclear how dire the center’s financial situation currently is, but the board said it would perform a financial audit during the center’s closure.

Recent IRS filings indicate the center more than doubled its employees in recent years and experienced a fluctuation in its income.

In 2020, the center reported employing 45 people and having a net revenue that year of $650,103. Two years later, the center reported employing 105 people with a net revenue of $5.3 million. Then, in 2023 — the most recent filing available — the center employed 120 people, but spent $1.5 million more than it made.

With carryover from past years’ savings, the center ended that year in the black. The same filings show pay for Duckett-Brown increased from $67,171 in 2020 to $103,548 by 2023.

The center’s board said it hopes to have a transitional leadership team in place by next week.

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Mirror Indy reporter Enrique Saenz covers west Indianapolis. Contact him at 317-983-4203 or enrique.saenz@mirrorindy.org. Follow him on Bluesky at @enriquesaenz.bsky.social.