West-end daycare at centre of sex assault allegation identified

A sexual assault investigation into a daycare worker prompted questions after nearly a year of calls for better policies to inform parents.

One of the places a 21-year-old teaching assistant who is accused of sexually assaulting a child worked was Kidstown Daycare in west Edmonton, the Alberta government confirmed Friday.

In announcing the charges against Kulraj Singh last week, police said he worked at a second location in central Edmonton and there could be other victims, but did not provide the name of either facility.

The child’s parent reported the incident to police on April 8.

Child-care providers are legally required to notify families of allegations of abuse.

“In this case, parents of children known to be affected would have been contacted by the program,” Education and Childcare Minister Demetrios Nicolaides said in a statement Friday.

When the charges were announced, he had promised his office was exploring how to improve communication with families.

“These incidents are serious and we are working to create a more transparent notification system that does not infringe on active criminal investigations. We will provide a public update as soon as possible,” Nicolaides told CTV News Edmonton.

Singh’s employment and child-care certification were suspended pending the results of the criminal proceedings.

He was conditionally released on bail.

Alberta’s childcare licensing department is also involved in ensuring child safety.

CTV News Edmonton has reached out to Kidstown for comment.