Edmonton daycare has licence revoked after complaints of inappropriate discipline
A southwest Edmonton daycare abruptly closed on Friday due to complaints of inappropriate child discipline.
Generations Out of School Care had its licence revoked after Alberta Children's Services began investigating the complaints on May 24. The daycare was found to have been "non-compliant" with the child discipline section of the Child Care Licensing Act.
A report on the Human Services website suggests the discipline involved inflicting "physical punishment, verbal or physical degradation or emotional deprivation."
Alberta Children's Services communications director Zoe Cooper could not say if any children were injured at the daycare at 149th Street and 45th Avenue.
The facility had until June 8 to fix issues surrounding child discipline, insufficient staffing and general supervision, Cooper said.
"It's not very common for us to have to cancel a licence like this," Cooper said.
While the daycare licence has been revoked, the facility also runs an out-of-school care program on a separate licence. That program remains open.
Alberta Children's Services is working with parents affected by the daycare closure, Cooper said.
"We had staff on site at the daycare on Friday to speak to parents as they came to pick up their kids. We will continue to support parents in finding alternate childcare arrangements for their children."
Multiple inspections
The daycare was licensed under the current owner since November 2009, Cooper said.
The facility was licensed to accommodate 84 children up to the age of five. Forty children attended the centre the week it was closed, Cooper added.
Government inspectors usually visit licensed childcare programs at least twice a year. But if complaints are received, additional inspections may take place.
These inspection reports must be posted at the daycare facility in a prominent area.
According to the Alberta Human Services website, inspectors visited Generations Out of School Care almost every month between January 2016 and September 2016. The next inspection was completed in March of this year, and inspectors visited each month thereafter until the daycare was ordered to close.
"We work closely with all childcare facilities because we take all complaints seriously," Cooper said.
"When anyone ... makes a complaint or calls us to identify a concern, we will follow up."
The owner of Generations Out of School Care was not immediately available for comment.
