Montessori House's future is up in the air. Photo by Dennis Chippa.
There could be more parents looking for day care spots for their children in North Bay.
After eight years of operation, the Montessori House on Chippewa Street is set to close at the end of June.
Administrator Debbie Ashley says several factors have contributed to the privately operated daycare closing.
The main problem is revenues cannot keep up with increasing costs for the building, owned by the Conseil scolaire public du Nord-Est de l’Ontario
“As I got bigger and required more space my rent has steadily been going up. But now the school board wants to charge me for use of the hallways and the entranceways and the bathrooms and things I hadn’t been charged for before.”
Ashley says the second problem, the lower revenues, is a common one for daycare operators the last few years, and it may be due to the implementation of full day Junior Kindergarten by the province.
She says children traditionally cared for in a setting like Montessori are now in classrooms.
Obviously, that cuts down on potential revenue for any private daycare.
At the same time, Ashley says the province implemented a new programming model called Play to Learn, a philosophy that differs from Montessori’s.
“It’s probably a great system of education, but it’s not Montessori. I did ask our DNSSAB in North Bay and the Ministry of Education which does the licencing component what would enable us to stay open and it was highly suggested that I stop presenting Montessori and go instead to the Play to Learn.”
“Montessori doesn’t fit into the peg. I am getting the feeling from the community that Montessori is no longer welcome here.”
The decision means the potential layoffs of 11 staff, and a lack of daycare for the 60 children enrolled.
That has parents scrambling for spots, and finding wait lists instead.
Ashley however, says she and the parents may not be giving up yet..
“We had another meeting and I had put it out to the parents that I would be totally on board with the fact if parents want to take the school over as a non for profit. Parents are on board with that.”
In fact, after 29 years working in Montessori education, Ashley is reluctant to say the Montessori House is closing at all.
“We are going through a transition. First and foremost that transition is finding a new location that can be permanent, forever.”
It’s hoped that a new location can be found soon, so the Montessori House can be ready for parents and children by fall.
