Moncton daycare closure by province shocks parents

Parents of children who attendedEduCare daycare in Moncton say they want the Department of Early Childhood Development to explain the sudden closure of the daycare.

Many people who stopped by EduCare daycare to pick up their children's belongings, left in tears Wednesday.

The daycare located on 700 St. George Blvd. in Moncton was closed by the province on Monday. The Department of Education and Early Childhood Development shut it down after two former staff members made complaints against the daycare, according to the owner.

Katina Williams had two daughters enrolled at the daycare for the last three years and wants details about the allegations.

"I couldn't access the information about what was going on wrong at EduCare," said Williams. "So I wish I could have had that so I could have made an informed decision.

"I wasn't given that from the government, they should have better communicated with parents."

The Department of Early Childhood Development said the information about the allegations is confidential.

"Where the minister is of the opinion that a daycare is of inadequate quality or dangerous, destructive or damaging to the children attending a daycare, the minister is required to take action," the department said in a news release.

The operator of EduCare, Kim MacLean said the department alleges the daycare did not meet required student to teacher ratios. The daycare is also accused of putting a child in an empty room as a form of discipline.

"Those claims are completely false," said MacLean. "We have all the documentation to show that. However the Department of Education did not ask us for that. They did not conduct an investigation into the allegations. They just shut our doors."

Many parents are surprised to hear the nature of the allegations.

"What they were saying is very negative and I don't think I necessarily believe it," said Tara LeBlanc, whose son attended the daycare.

"It's hard to know what really happened," said RaissaMarks, who has sent her two daughters to EduCare for three years.

"It's hard to know what really happened. We haven't gotten much information," said Marks. "But we've always gotten great care."