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Closure of Montessori daycare and school leaves parents with lots of questions

The closure of a daycare in Cold Lake has left many parents asking why. Montessori Daycare and School announced it would be shutting its doors on Monday. Parents say they were given little to no notice, with some claiming a late night email of a letter was all they had heard.

The letter states in part:

“We regret to inform all parents whose children attend or who are registered to attend Cold Lake Montessori Daycare and School Corporation summer camp program and/or academic program, due to unforeseen circumstances, Cold Lake Montessori Daycare and School Corporation will be permanently closing its doors as of Monday, July 16th 2018.

The letter goes on to say that refunds will not be given for July or August fees that may have been paid in advance.

A staff member who wished to remain anonymous said the closure came as a shock to those who worked there as well, saying that they were notified via text message on Sunday evening.

Happy House Daycare held a meeting along with the MFRC from 4 Wing on Tuesday night to discuss options with parents affected by the closure. Executive Director for Happy House Tamara van Happen says the daycare will take the 46 Montessori children in for the time being but the future looks very unclear.

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“We don’t really have the space to accommodate all of them. We’re taking them in right now because we can but for them to stay on permanently; I don’t really know what that’s going to look like and neither does the MFRC.”

van Happen says her daycare already has a waitlist of children waiting for a spot. She says the meeting gave worried parents a little information about what future childcare options they could take.

“We had everybody write up a letter stating what they’d like. We have a new building opening up in January in the north. I think at this point we’re going to squish them in until January and move them into our new building when it opens.”

Happy House had explored the idea of taking over the Montessori facility. van Happen says its still unclear if that option will come to fruition.

As of press time, Montessori could not be reached by phone or email for comment.

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