Smith College extends Fort Hill childcare program through 2029

Smith College says its Fort Hill early childhood center will stay open through at least summer 2029 after backlash to an earlier closure plan. Supporters are pressing for a longer-term commitment, a fair union contract for teachers, and more access to childcare in a region they say is already short on infant care.

Why it matters: - Fort Hill is a major childcare provider in Northampton and the largest local provider of infant and toddler care. - Closing the center would deepen an already severe childcare shortage in the region. - Smith College families, faculty, staff and community members say the center also protects unionized teaching jobs and access to early childhood education.

What happened: - Smith College President Sarah Willie-LeBreton said in emails on Oct. 30 that Fort Hill will remain open through at least summer 2029. - The announcement reversed Smith College’s Oct. 19 decision to close the center in June 2027. - Willie-LeBreton said further details would follow and identified December 2027 as a target date for determining next steps on Smith College childcare policies and resources. - Supporters of Fort Hill welcomed the reversal after a peaceful rally and march on Oct. 28 from downtown Northampton to the Smith College campus drew more than 300 participants. - Northampton Mayor Gina-Louise Sciarra, a Smith Class of ’96 alum, was among several elected officials who publicly backed keeping Fort Hill open.

The details: - Fort Hill is the Smith College Center for Early Childhood Education. - The center serves children from the community and children affiliated with Smith College. - Smith College faculty analyses show the region already qualifies as a childcare desert for infant care, according to Lindsay Poirier, Ph.D., an associate professor of statistics and data sciences at Smith College. - Those analyses indicate there are 3.6 infants for every available infant childcare spot in Northampton and Florence. - Massachusetts licensing data shows Fort Hill is the city’s second-largest childcare center for children under 5. - Fort Hill teachers voted unanimously to unionize in September 2024. - The Fort Hill Teachers Association has been bargaining for its first contract with Smith College for more than a year. - Malka Coburn, a Smith alum who has taught at Fort Hill for 13 years, said the extension brings stability for children but does not secure jobs or the center’s long-term future.

Between the lines: - The reversal suggests the closure fight created meaningful pressure on Smith College from parents, teachers, alumni and local officials. - Supporters are treating the 2029 extension as a pause, not a resolution. - The campaign now links childcare access with labor rights, making the contract fight part of the broader argument for preserving Fort Hill. - A Request for Information submitted by Smith College Assistant Professor of Government Cheng Xu points to continued scrutiny of how the closure decision was made.

What's next: - Fort Hill families and other community members will meet with the Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care during the week of Nov. 2 to raise concerns about the region’s childcare system. - Supporters plan to attend the Fort Hill Teachers Association’s next public bargaining session with Smith College on Nov. 9. - Smith College is expected to provide more details on the future of its childcare policies and resources before the December 2027 target date for next steps. - Supporters say they will keep pushing for Fort Hill to remain open beyond 2029 and for a fair first contract for teachers.

The bottom line: - Smith College stepped back from an immediate closure, but the fight over Fort Hill’s future, teacher contract and regional childcare access is still far from over.