Three Calgary daycares ordered to close over safety concerns

Three child-care programs in Calgary have been shut down over safety concerns, the province said in a release on Monday. 

The operating licences of Little Scholars Daycare Greenview, Little Scholars Daycare ECS Ltd. and Little Scholars Daycare Inc. were cancelled. The government body responsible for issuing the licences "determined that there was an imminent danger to the health, safety and well-being of children attending the programs," read the release. 

Just under 300 children will be affected by the closures. 

According to a government-issued notice posted on the door of the Little Scholars Greenview location, the facility was immediately closed due to ongoing non-compliances, including inadequate child supervision, failure to notify parents in the case of an accident involving a child, and allowing emergency medication to be in reach of children. 

The notice also highlighted that the daycare failed to ensure that furnishings and play equipment were in good repair, and that several administrative records were out of date. 

The three daycare locations had earlier been placed on probationary licences as a result of continued non-compliance after health inspections carried out earlier this year, according to the release. Those licences were set to expire Aug. 30.

Justin Lawrence, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Jobs, Economy and Trade, told CBC News there is still an opportunity for Little Scholars to appeal the ruling. 

Raj Saini, the owner of Little Scholars, told CBC News he did not know why the daycare locations had been closed. 

His wife, Gargi, who runs the business with him, said they are confused about the specifics of how they were non-compliant, and that they plan to appeal the closures.

Alisha Kassam's four-year-old daughter attends Little Scholars Greenview, although she was pulled out for the month of August to spend some summer weeks at home. 

Kassam said she was shocked to hear that the facility had been ordered to close but noted it has struggled with staffing issues in the past.

"Parents got a notification in the middle of the day to come pick their kids up … and we heard it was because they were understaffed." 

Kassam said that while some administrative aspects of the Little Scholars program were "awful" to deal with, they were planning on sending their four-year-old back next year. 

She said the teaching staff were good, and that, ultimately, there aren't many options for child care out there.

"Everywhere has waitlists.… Was it my favourite place ever? No, but I gotta send my kids somewhere. I didn't think she was unsafe, which is the bottom line, right? Like, I wouldn't have sent her if I thought they were unsafe."