Blinds drawn. Doors locked. It's how parents like Sarah Amo found Kid's Kingdom on Armor Drive in Orchard Park Monday morning when she tried dropping off her daughter before work. “Normally, there's decorations on the windows, kids pictures and stuff. It was empty. Things were taken down and there was just a posted sign on the window,” Amo explained.
The sign informed parents the daycare had closed. It cites a recent Facebook post and new building ownership for the reasons behind the closure, and it thanks parents for their loyalty.
That Facebook reference stems from a parents claim that their child was yelled at while in Kid’s Kingdom care.
Amo said the closure came without warning, and she's frustrated because four year old McKenzye loved it there. “She was excited to go. Some days she wouldn't even want to leave. She had great friends.”
Benjamin MacDonald's in a similar boat. He showed up at 6 A.M. only to learn his daughter's daycare was closed. “I was supposed to be work at 7 AM. I'm a construction worker so it makes me look bad in front of everybody else.” Now, he wonders how he'll get the $165.00 money order back. Macdonald pays in advance for the service. “I paid on either Thursday or Friday and put it in a dropbox in the office. But, they should've said something that they were closing.”
The N.Y.S. Office of Children and Family Services said the daycare informed it of the closure. It also said there aren't any laws that require more advanced notice.
It's unclear how it plans to reimburse parents or when they will get that money back. The phone number to the daycare was disconnected. However, 7 Eyewitness News Legal Analyst Florina Altshiler said you can take it to small claims court if you're having trouble recouping the funds.
In Amo's case, she doesn't pay in advance. So, her only worry is finding childcare for McKenzye. “Luckily, I'm in a position where I can manage my schedule owning my own business. But, I had to cancel and reschedule a few people and I'm looking at doing that now for the next week or so until I can find something,” she said.
The Child Care Resource Network can provide parents with free referrals. For more information, click here.
