Parents upset at closure of Beausoleil Francophone daycare
Posted Aug 31, 2015 06:58:21 PM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
OTTAWA–Supporters of the Beausoleil Franophone daycare in Lowertown say they’ll continue to fight to try and save their daycare, but say cynicism has set in that the city planned all along to shutter the facility.
The building that houses the daycare–along with community housing– is undergoing significant exterior renovations: Parents got word in July that the daycare would close, leaving parents scrambling to make alternate arrangements.
Suneeta Millington has two children who went to beausoleil: She said they tried repeatedly to raise the issue and get answers about why the closure was happening.
“(When I learned) the fact that the city is looking to undertake a review of its entire engagement in municipally run childcare centres, but that didn’t even come out until several weeks after they said ‘Oh, too bad there’s no other solution for Beausoleil except to close it.’ It’s hard not to, frankly, be cynical and think that this was an orchastrated move at a certain point.”
Millington said the city reassured them that there were local francophone daycare spaces to cover the loss of the 49-spots at Beausoleil, but she pointed out the bulk of those spots are in Gloucester, and not as easy for low-income families to access.
