Parents in limbo after Loyalist College daycare closure

Kristen Oelschlagel

and Jack Carver

A month after Loyalist College announced the closure of its daycare, some parents are still trying to find childcare for their children.

College officials announced in May that the centre would be permanently closed because it could no longer afford to subsidize the facility. At the time, they said they would help parents find alternative daycares.

Shawn Goodfellow said he has managed to find a spot for his son for the summer at the YMCA but said he was never given the option of getting help from the college.

“I haven’t sought any support, but Loyalist has not offered any support,” Goodfellow said.

Ted Mcguinness, who has a daughter attending the daycare, said the daycare helped his daughter grow significantly but he and his wife are still searching for an appropriate replacement.

“Our young lady was born with a bit of a delay so to bring her up to speed with other kids we put her in daycare. She has come leaps and bounds here,” said Mcguinness.

Maureen Piercy, president of Loyalist College, said the staff in the daycare are knowledgeable about what’s available in the area and said they have been working with families to find alternate care.

“They understand the individual circumstances of each family and I think they’ve been talking to them about what’s available in the community, whether they want something close to home or whether there’s the possibility for full day kindergarten,” said Piercy.

“I think they’re helping them think about alternatives and look at alternatives that might meet their family needs.”

Tricia Waplak, whose son has been going to the daycare for two years, agrees that the daycare staff has been supportive. She said changing daycares can be a hassle but Jennifer deGroot, the manager of the daycare at Loyalist, has been making it easier.

“Jen deGroot has been trying to assist families, just as she did when there was a strike and the daycare had to close,” Waplak said.

“She’s been the driving force behind it, I’m not sure if that’s just Jen deGroot and her own managing of it or if that’s a Loyalist thing but she’s definitely been helpful.”

deGroot was not immediately available for an interview.

But the children aren’t the only ones affected by the closure. Many students at Loyalist will also feel the effects of the closure. The daycare has operated as a learning lab for students in the college’s early childhood education program. It gave them the opportunity to learn hands-on and have a placement right on campus.

Piercy said it was a great opportunity to have a lab on campus but the college is working to make sure they continue to offer an excellent ECE program.

“We have wonderful community partners that provide excellent placements for students. It was a wonderful to have a model lab, but we’ve been looking at that for a number of years. It wasn’t just a lab, it was an operating childcare center and that creates all kinds of different issues.

Piercy said the college is working with faculty and community advisors to redesign the curriculum and hopes the closure doesn’t deter students from coming to Loyalist.

“I would hope they would look at our wonderful program. There are a number of colleges who have, unfortunately, closed the same kind of facility on campus and there are a number of colleges who offer great ECE programs who do not have a lab on campus, you just have to design your teaching environment differently,” said Piercy.

The daycare is scheduled to close at the end of June.