Parents and former employees of the Pincher Creek Community Early Learning Centre (PCCELC) are still waiting for answers almost two weeks after one of its locations was closed without notice.
On the evening of Oct. 25, parents and educators alike received an email stating that the facility was closed effective 5:30 p.m. that day, explaining the closure will remain until adequate staffing can be retained.
For parents like Danielle Duffield, the sudden closure was bad enough but the lack of communication from the board has been all the more frustrating.
“How come there was no communication with us,” asked Duffield. “I know that we’ve been trying to get a parent advisory committee set up for months now to try and have a little bit of input or at least have a parent sit on the board so that we know what’s going on to better the communication.”
“We have been prying for information but don’t get any, so it’s been a situation where communication has been dropped. Maybe we could have as a community come up with an answer before it just come to shutting the doors with no notice.”
Duffield said she’s fortunate to have family in town to help and that her child was able to secure a spot in the centre’s Canyon location, but other parents haven’t been as lucky.
“I know of families who have been taking their sick days and vacation days for the last eight days so that they have care for their child.”
Board members for the PCCELC held a town hall meeting for parents on Monday night to provide some context on the closure.
Global News attempted to attend but was refused entry.
Board Chair Christy Gustavison said she fully understands why parents are upset.
“Our hearts go out to them at this time,” said Gustavison. “We are well aware of the urgent need for child care in our community and it was a heart-wrenching decision to have to make to close the facility.
“The reason was we simply didn’t have enough to meet the licensing ratios and it was a situation where, for the well-being of children and our staff, we felt that it was the most prudent decision to make.”
When questioned as to why there was less than 24 hours’ notice given, Gustavison explained that it was to ensure everyone’s safety as the staffing situation became emergent over just a few days.
Candice Van Gool, a former parent at the centre, attended the Monday meeting and said the PCCELC board could have informed the parents in a much better manner.
“For them to close and say they’re short-staffed, they could have closed a room, they could have borrowed staff from the other daycare,” said Van Gool.
“They could have done so many things rather than shut down the whole daycare and screw up a lot of parents.”
Van Gool pulled her children out of the Sage location, after she said she noticed staffing troubles that led to a scary incident with her nine-year-old, non-verbal daughter.
“In July, I got a phone call at work during my supper hour, informing me that my daughter had wandered off and was missing,” explained Van Gool.
“We found her an hour and a half later a block away from the creek, half a block away from Pincher Creek Fire Station. Which is six blocks from that daycare. She crossed four major streets including Main Street, she stands about four feet tall, she’s tiny, and she can’t talk — and nobody noticed this? We had half the town looking for her.”
According to Van Gool, her daughter was able to leave the premises an additional two times without staff noticing.
Global News asked the PCCELC board to comment on the incident, to which Gustavison replied, “We’re not really in a position to talk about individual family situations. That situation was dealt with and remedied in cooperation with licensing.”
As for the future of the centre, the PCCELC would not disclose how many children were impacted by the closure, but say they are evaluating whether they can re-open the Sage location or if the Canyon location can take on additional children.
Families have since been reimbursed for fees already paid for, and staff at the Sage location have been provided with two weeks of pay.
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