Parents with children at Eagle Kids Canadian Learning Centre's Garibaldi location are scrambling to find child care spots after the facility shut its doors suddenly on Sept. 13.
A notice on its door—located at 40137 Government Road—alleges the centre failed to pay "rent, additional rent, and to repay the landlord for expenses incurred on behalf of the tenant for alterations and additions to the premises."
As of Monday, Sept. 23, the centre appeared to have been completely moved out.
In an email to The Squamish Chief, Eagle Kids said the lease termination was "totally unexpected for us."
"Both the shareholders and I, as the director, are deeply shocked that so many families have to suffer due to such short notice," said the email, signed "The Eagle Kids team." "The shareholders are devastated, having lost close to a million dollars in our investment and three years of hard work in providing an essential service to the families in Squamish."
The message continued: "Unfortunately, there were parties involved who were not willing to co-operate, and, as a result, we are forced to dissolve the business. I want to emphasize that this decision has been forced upon us, and I hope you can understand that this is just as difficult and shocking for us as it is for you."
They did not reply to follow-up questions or requests for phone interviews.
Efforts to reach the landlord were not successful.
Parents of Eagle Kids' downtown location were also sent an email saying the issue at the Garibaldi location was not related to rent and "will be resolved soon." It also said "there is absolutely no need for concern regarding our operations."
Some children from Garibaldi, along with their teachers, moved over to the downtown site for an undetermined amount of time.
But not all children were offered a temporary spot.
Chris Van Tilborg and his partner—who had been on daycare waitlists in Squamish since before their one-and-a-half-year-old daughter was born—said it had been a huge relief when they finally secured a space at Eagle Kids Garibaldi at the beginning of this month, after their nanny share had come to an end.
While they knew child care transitions can be difficult, their daughter "was really liking the place—it was a bright, open space with multiple teachers, always someone attending to them, like it should be," Van Tilborg said."By the end of week one, our daughter was noticeably happier."
But on Sunday, Sept. 15, less than two weeks after starting, he and other Eagle Kids Garibaldi parents received an email from the facility saying the daycare would be closed indefinitely.
"For me the biggest thing is how can this be?" he said. "How can this be allowed to happen—especially receiving government money [the Child Care Fee Reduction Initiative]? You'd think things like their lease would be checked and approved to meet a standard. You'd think there would be more oversight."
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Education and Child Care said in an email (prior to the provincial election being called) that daycares qualify for the CCFRI funding if they agree to keep fees affordable, do not charge a waitlist fee, have a proper license, are open and currently providing child care, and are in good standing with the ministry.
A group of parents from the daycare sent an email to District of Squamish mayor and council, MP Patrick Weiler and MLA Jordan Sturdy outlining their concerns.
"Parents are already struggling, and we know the reality will hit even harder in the next month or two," it read. "Without child care, many dual-income families will be forced to make difficult decisions, including having one parent leave the workforce, which will put significant strain on both individual families and our community as a whole."
It calls for government officials to "step up, streamline the process, and make it easier for providers to offer the care our community desperately needs."
For its part, the District of Squamish said it reached out to the affected parents to share the contact for the Sea To Sky Community Services Society's Childcare Resource and Referral Program.
"The impact of a closure is incredibly difficult for families given the acute challenge with child care access in Squamish, especially for the infant-toddler age group," Rachel Boguski, media relations and content specialist for the District, wrote in an email.
She also confirmed that the unit is zoned for a daycare facility and does not permit single-unit dwelling or a home occupation office—and there's no application to rezone at this time.
Platypus YCMA Childcare was located in the same space until it shut down in 2021.
Facilitators cited forced closures from the pandemic as the cause.
