Families scrambling as Halifax daycare set to close with less than 2 months' notice

Celina Aalders · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 21, 2025 5:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 11 minutes ago

It took Brittany Naugler implicit 17 months connected various waitlists to yet unafraid a daycare spot for her two-year-old daughter. But present she has to commencement that process each implicit again. 

Families were notified connected Monday that the Children's Garden Day Care successful Halifax, N.S., which is licensed for 80 kids from 18 months to 12 years old, volition adjacent connected April 30 and they should commencement looking for alternate child-care options. 

In an email to parents, the centre's co-owner Adnan Masad said their lease is acceptable to expire astatine the opening of May and the landlord has "chosen not to renew it owed to plans to redevelop the property." 

Naugler said she was wholly taken aback by the news, and determination was nary denotation that this was coming. She said erstwhile parents learned that the Children's Garden was nether caller ownership conscionable a mates weeks ago, they were assured that things would spell connected concern arsenic usual. 

"I was devastated. I was hyperventilating. I had a afloat panic attack," she said. "The different parents and the teachers are shocked, hopeless, devastated." 

Naugler and her hubby some enactment afloat clip and they don't person immoderate household members adjacent who could assistance retired successful the meantime. 

"I'm disquieted that I'm going to suffer my occupation oregon person to usage each my abrogation until I tin find somewhere," said Naugler. 

When she recovered retired astir the closure earlier this week, she instantly started applying to dozens of child-care centres crossed the city. So far, she said she's been rejected oregon enactment connected a waitlist by astatine slightest 20 of them, and has 1 imaginable prospect. 

Masad and Enas Jawad took implicit the daycare arsenic co-owners connected March 7. They said due to the fact that the transportation of ownership lone concluded recently, they could not stock updates with families astir the aboriginal of the centre until now. 

They declined an interrogation astir the closure, but said successful an email to CBC News connected Thursday day that they are successful the "final stages" of negotiations for a caller location and volition stock much details soon. 

In an email sent to parents connected Wednesday, Masad said helium understands that this is simply a stressful concern for families.

"We privation to guarantee you that we are committed to redeeming and increasing kid attraction spaces for our community," helium wrote. 

Masad and Jawad also own Little Picasso Daycare & Art Centre, which precocious opened a caller determination successful Bayers Lake Business Park successful Halifax.

Lina Hamid, NDP MLA for Fairview-Clayton Park, said she has heard from a constituent that's been impacted by this closure. 

"This is simply a nonaccomplishment to the community," said Hamid. "Any clip that we suffer daycare spaces, it's a nonaccomplishment to the families successful the area, peculiarly erstwhile determination isn't overmuch alternative." 

She said the provincial authorities needs to bash much to stabilize the assemblage and enactment some caller and existing child-care providers. 

CBC News asked the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development if the provincial authorities could bash thing to assistance the families affected by this closure, but they did not respond successful clip for publication.

The gathering is owned by Amir Arab, president of Savoir Living Developments Limited, according to a transcript of the lease statement obtained by CBC. 

CBC News has made aggregate attempts to interaction Arab for immoderate clarification connected what the redevelopment volition entail. However, helium could not beryllium reached. 

According to existent property database ViewPoint, Arab purchased the gathering connected May 15, 2024, the aforesaid time helium signed a astir one-year lease with the erstwhile proprietor of the Children's Garden.

For Alyssa Clayfield, a parent of 2 and full-time student, the daycare's closure is causing a consciousness of interest and uncertainty. 

Her 18-month-old girl conscionable started astatine the centre 3 weeks ago, and her astir six-year-old girl utilized to be until recently. 

She said it took astir a twelvemonth to unafraid a spot for her younger daughter. 

"We've been portion of the daycare for truthful long, and it's truly adjacent to our location too," said Clayfield. "We're truly disquieted that we're not going to beryllium capable to get different spot for Lila."

Like Naugler, Clayfield has been frantically reaching retired to different daycares successful hopes of securing thing earlier the extremity of April. 

Out of the 15 to 20 places she's called and emailed — nary luck. 

"There's specified a shortage close present … it wasn't similar this erstwhile my older girl went. There's conscionable nary space, I guess," she said. 

Both mothers and different parents who spoke to CBC said they're inactive hopeful that the owners tin find a suitable determination for the Children's Garden, and soon. But they're not holding their breath, truthful their hunt for caller kid attraction continues. 

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