Parents scrambling with three days’ notice about Springbank daycare closure

A surprise announcement that a Springbank daycare is closing by week's end is creating stress for families and businesses caught in the middle.

A Springbank daycare is abruptly closing this week, leaving families of 130 children with three days to find alternatives.

Springbank Cottage Childcare contacted families on the afternoon of May 27, saying the building is not structurally safe and will permanently shut down on May 30.

“Three days doesn’t give anyone a chance to make alternate arrangements,” said Dave Serfas, whose two daughters attend Springbank Cottage Childcare.

“Where are the kids going to go for the summer programs? Now they’re all full. We’ve kind of missed that boat, so what are we supposed to do?”

Some parents said they are disappointed by a lack of communication and clarity about the risks.

“There has been a tremendous lack of transparency (and) communication with Rocky View school district,” said Serfas.

“I’m picking my son up there this afternoon. Is it safe for them to be in this building? We are told yes, but then what’s not safe about the occupancy come next week?” said Mark Stanley, whose son attends before- and after-school care.

Families first learned of potential structural concerns with the 1903 former schoolhouse in March, following an engineering assessment.

At that point, the building was deemed safe to remain open until September.

Rocky View Schools (RVS) said things changed after it commissioned a second, more comprehensive assessment, which found the building unsafe.

In a statement, RVS said, “We recognize this expedited timeline is challenging for families and staff. This was a difficult but necessary decision made in the interest of safety.”

“Springbank is a rural residential community, so these facilities don’t exist everywhere out in this area,” said Serfas.

Some parents said aside from putting them in a tough situation, the lack of transparency is unsettling.

“Now, it’s for all intents and purposes an immediate closure. Along with that immediate closure, Friday that building is unsafe, but there are 130 kids in there (Wednesday),” said Serfas.

They agree safety needs to be prioritized but said if the building can safely stay open a few more days, why not three more weeks, until the end of the school year?

“We’re so close to the end of the school year. Is it really necessary to create all this turmoil and chaos when we’re talking about another three weeks?” said Stanley.

“If the risks are real, then absolutely, safety is a priority, but then that has some bigger questions as to what was previously decided. Either way, there are questions that have to be answered.

“Are the safety risks real? And if they are real, why were our children allowed to be in this building until Friday? And if they’re not real, then let’s apply some common sense and look at this in a more staged approach.”

In a letter to parents, Springbank Cottage Childcare wrote, “We were served with an order to vacate by Rocky View County requiring us to vacate our current facility by May 30, 2025, despite a previously agreed-upon Sept. 1 timeline. We are actively pursuing an appeal and have submitted a request for a stay of the order.”

As for the future of the building, RVS said the structural concerns are too severe and costly to fix, so the historic schoolhouse will be demolished this summer.

Parents said Springbank Cottage Childcare planned to reopen in a new location in September, and staff are just as shocked by the sudden notice to close.

“I feel terrible for the staff and the actual folks that work at Cottage. It is a family business. They do an amazing job. The kids are always excited to go there, and we’re just disappointed,” said Serfas.

Rocky View County said it was asked by Rocky View Schools to review its independent engineering report of the building. An on-site inspection confirmed “serious structural concerns.”

Then on May 26, the county issued a safety codes order, requiring the building to be vacated by May 30.

“This decision was not made lightly. These independent reports identified serious structural concerns that made the building unfit for occupancy under provincial safety legislation,” the county said in a statement Thursday.

“We understand this is an incredibly difficult situation for families and that the timeline is challenging. The county is working with both Rocky View Schools and Springbank Cottage Childcare to support next steps and has offered to fast-track permitting for any temporary or alternative facilities to help minimize disruption.”

Rocky View noted that the Alberta Safety Codes Act offers mechanisms for review or appeal if Springbank Cottage Childcare or Rocky View Schools wants to pursue them.

Rocky View Schools said the third-party structural review of the building found “significant deficiencies in the foundation, roof, and overall stability of the building.”

“An independent geotechnical assessment has been completed and states that based on evidence from the structural assessment and their geotechnical investigation, the foundation is significantly compromised and should be replaced. This report has been shared with RVC and Springbank Cottage Childcare,” the school division said in a statement.

CTV reached out to Springbank Cottage Childcare but has not yet heard back.