The abrupt closure of an Ajax daycare in two weeks time has left more than a hundred families scrambling to find a new space for their children.
Happy Kids Child Care, located in the Church Street North and Delaney Drive area, has been instructed to vacate the building by Aug. 31 after its lease expired and was not renewed by the landlord.spoke with several parents of children enrolled at the daycare, and many are frustrated about how short the notice was about the closure.
Lewis adds it is significantly harder to find a new provider right before September, when school starts. They say they have started to inquire at other places, but many are already full and only have available slots for 2023. Browne and Lewis are just one of the more than 100 families being serviced by Happy Kids who now have to search for a new child care provider.Julie Gilchrist, Happy Kids' director, says she initially signed a five-year lease in 2017 with an option to renew for two more five-year terms. She told CP24.com on Friday that she tried to get a new lease before the July expiration but was unsuccessful.
"I said, so I have to pay you back the $40,000 before I sign my lease? He said, ‘you know what, we're just going to do a month-to-month,’" Gilchrist recalled.Despite the uncertainty, Gilchrist continued to pay rent, including for August, which jumped to $19,000. "I'm devastated about this. I literally have put every blood, sweat and tears into this place," Gilchrist said.
"I went through everything during COVID. And I didn't know if I was going to be able to get this place back. I didn't know if I was going to be able to keep it above water. But I did," she said.In a statement to CP24.com, the property manager for Elm Ajax Plaza Inc. noted that end date for the lease was clearly set out in the contract and said that they reached out to Gilchrist about possible renewal as early as March 2022.
"I think I'm going to become more worried as the shock wears off. Because daycare and childcare are essential. And this is such short notice for us," Mojsoski said. "I really hope that the centre did everything that they could. I trust that they did," Mojsoski added. "I have to trust that they did."