This post was updated Aug. 17 at 5:06 p.m.

About 60 parents rallied outside Murphy Hall on Monday to protest the closure of two UCLA childcare centers.

The Krieger and University Centers, which are under UCLA’s Early Care and Education Program, will close June 30, 2027 because its operations are no longer sustainable, Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost Darnell Hunt announced in a Thursday email to parents. 

[Related: UCLA childcare program, which faced 2024 sex abuse case, to close amid budget deficit]

The protest began at 9 a.m. with Michael Chwe, a political science professor and board member at the UCLA Faculty Association, leading a singalong with children and parents. Attendees played guitar while singing lyrics such as, “If you’re happy with your teachers, clap your hands.”

The Krieger Center and University Village employed Christopher Rodriguez, a teacher who was arrested and charged with child sexual abuse in 2024. Rodriguez worked at ECE for nearly 25 years and was convicted of charges including willful cruelty to a child and sexual battery against a minor in April 2025. 

Rodriguez received a sentence in June 2025 of seven years in jail but appealed his conviction and was later released on bond, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department inmate locator. The LA County Superior Court issued a warrant for Rodriguez on Feb. 9 after he failed to appear in court. He was still at large as of Aug. 17. 

[Related: Former UCLA child care teacher sentenced to 7 years for child sexual abuse]

The closure of the childcare centers also came as UCLA faces broader budget concerns, including a $220 million deficit, according to interim CFO Reem Hanna-Harwell. 

[Related: UCLA Early Care and Education admin announce reinstated food, formula programs]

Hunt said in an emailed statement Monday that UCLA considered all available options before deciding to close the centers. He added that the university will help families transition to other childcare options at no cost.

Parents delivered speeches on the steps of Murphy Hall, sharing their experiences with ECE and condemning its closure.

Catherine Provenzano, a Krieger parent, said in a speech that she was disappointed by the short notice of the centers’ closure. Provenzano, an assistant professor in the musicology department, added that her daughter was supposed to start at ECE on Monday, but she is now looking to move her to a different center.

Parents started a petition after Hunt’s announcement urging Frenk to pause the centers’ closure and look for other ways to address UCLA’s budget deficit. 

Alejandra Matas, whose child started at University Village one month ago, said ECE’s closure will make it challenging for her to balance work and being a mom. 

Waitlists at childcare across Los Angeles are between three months and two years long, and options are unaffordable, she added.

“We are from abroad, so we don’t have family or many friends that can help us take care of her,” said Matas, whose husband is a UCLA doctoral student. 

Anna Markowitz, an associate professor at the School of Education and Information Studies and the president of the UCLA Faculty Association, said seeing faculty from various departments come together to support childcare at UCLA was empowering.

Markowitz said she appreciated a speaker who challenged the university’s reasoning for closing ECE because of budgetary constraints. The cost of ECE “doesn’t make or break” UCLA’s budget, she added.

UCLA Media Relations did not immediately respond to a request for comment on how much running the program cost the university. 

Not all parents, though, were unhappy with the move. 

A former ECE parent, who was granted anonymity to protect the identity of their child, said in a texted statement that they felt the protest neglected the children who were sexually abused by Rodriguez.

“Where was all this zeal for supporting faculty families back when our kids were getting sexually abused – where were the protests and flyers and petitions back then?” the parent said. “Now that it’s affecting them directly, this massive group of faculty are motivated.”

The parent added that they wished the petition included justice for families of children abused by Rodriguez in its demands. A June 2025 lawsuit alleged that UCLA was negligent in that it did not protect ECE students.

After speeches concluded, organizers handed out flyers with QR codes linked to the petition and spoke one-on-one with attendees.

In her speech, Provenzano called on UCLA to manage its finances responsibly so ECE can continue running.

“Instead of actually figuring out how to run on the margins as you need to, just like parents do, instead you’re pulling the rug up from the future of this institution,” Provenzano said.

Contributing reports by Natalia Mochernak, Daily Bruin senior staff.