Parents, staff shocked by sudden closure of Lower Sackville daycare

LOWER SACKVILLE, N.S. – The sudden closure of a Lower Sackville daycare on Monday morning left parents scrambling for child care and staff searching for answers.

The people who arrived at 6 a.m. said there was no trace of the owners.

“I’m in shock, I don’t know what to do. I was apologizing to parents but like I said, ‘I’m in the same boat as you,'” said teacher Stephanie Malley as she broke down in tears.

The Cobequid Children’s Centre, located at 103 Cobequid Road, has been in business for 13 years. Staff at an adjoining business told Global News they saw the daycare owners removing items, including a fridge, over the weekend.

But there was no effort to inform parents or teachers about the unexpected closure.

Malley said there are eight staff members and approximately 50 children enrolled at the daycare. Both staff and clients said they have belongings in the building they are unable to retrieve.

“It’s shocking and it leaves you at a loss of words,” said parent Amy Howe, as she stood outside the building with her two-year-old son, Connor.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "It's shocking and it leaves you at a loss of words," said parent Amy Howe, as she stood outside the building with her two-year-old son, Connor.

A sign posted on the door said the business was closing “permanently” and offered a number for the company that owns the building. However, parents who called the number discovered the building manager was out of the country.

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Calls to the daycare’s business number are redirected to voicemail, but the inbox is full. The cell phone number of the owner has been disconnected and parents say their emails have bounced back.

Parents said making alternative arrangements at the last minute proved difficult.

“I can’t work today,” said Karen Kearney, who has two children enrolled at the daycare. “Other parents have been running around to daycares crazily trying to find spots for their children so they can actually work too.

“So not only are we losing money on daycare, we’re losing money as workers.”

The Department of Education has also been trying to reach the daycare operators, but have been unable to so far.

“We were aware a few weeks ago that they were having some financial difficulty. They were afraid they weren’t going to be able to make their rent,” said Shelley Thompson, acting director for early childhood development services.

“We understood that they worked that out, but I assume that this might have something to do with today’s closure.”

Thompson said about half of the children enrolled at the centre receive child-care subsidies from the province.

The department is putting together a list of other daycares in the area with spaces available in order to help families affected by the closure.

The Cobequid Children’s Centre is registered to Constance Delorey-McGowan. It is not registered with the Better Business Bureau (BBB), but has an A+ rating on the BBB website.

The BBB is advising parents who have lost money or staff who are owed salary to try and contact the owners or take action through small claims court.