The good news, though, is that we can expect more artists from West Virginia. Forty employees will get rescued from wage slavery, thanks to a decision to cut costs from ObamaCare.  One hundred and twenty children and their parents, though, won’t feel quite as liberated:

The schools had operated at a loss for the last few years, but ObamaCare was the straw that broke the camel’s back:

The daycare centers, which currently serve 120 students and have 40 people on staff, have operated at a loss for the past several years, and since the school year started, have lost about $65,000, according to Bob Calhoun, Kanawha County Schools Executive Director of Elementary Education.

The daycares — which enroll children up to 4 years old — are run by the Kanawha County Schools Community Education Program, which operates various school programs outside of class time.

The daycare centers receive no funding from the public school system and rely solely on fees charged to families. In addition to a financial deficit, the centers have faced increased facility costs and decreased enrollment, according to Calhoun.

“Community education is self sufficient. We operate on the funds that we bring in,” Calhoun said. “I’m very disappointed. It’s not something you want to do. We’re taking the livelihood away from 40 people and causing distress for 120 families.”

In a letter addressed to parents on Tuesday, Calhoun and Community Education Program Director Clara Jett pointed to the Affordable Care Act as another contributor to the closures, citing looming insurance costs for employees.

“We would have to start offering an insurance to employees. Right now, [employees] are contracted. So we’d have to start offering benefits, either that or double staff and reduce their hours, and it’s just not something we’re able to do,” Calhoun said.

The Charleston Gazette included a quote from a health policy analyst disputing this reasoning, noting that the day-care centers employ less than 50 people and aren’t required to provide insurance coverage under ObamaCare. However, it appears from the article that these are not independent businesses but part of a larger program operated by the school district. Even though they may function as a co-op of sorts, being part of a larger organization would make them liable for the employer mandate — and the financial implications of compliance.

But hey, at least we’re creating artists, right?