Monterey daycare set to shutdown
If you are a working mom or dad you know the drill. “When you have a baby the first thing they tell you is to get on a waitlist the second you find out you’re pregnant,” said parent, Lisa Anthony.
On the Monterey Peninsula, parents said finding child care is especially challenging. For years, dozens of families have relied on their provider: KinderCare. Monday, the center announced it plans to close its doors in December.
“My husband and I are full time employees. We work full time. We don’t have family here. We are similar to the military. We need a facility like this to help us out,” said Anthony.
KinderCare has served Peninsula families at the Presidio of Monterey for 23 years. Parents tell KION it is one of the few facilities in the area that will look after infants. “My daughter loved her teachers and loved her friends at school. Now she’s being uprooted from that situation,” said parent, Michael Zabbo.
The City of Monterey has leased the KinderCare building for almost two decades. The city is required to sublease the property to a child care provider. The city’s property manager, Janna Aldrete, said they are already looking for a replacement. “The city is committed to finding an accredited child care provider as soon as possible. We understand the urgency,” said Aldrete.
Parents are worried the city won’t find a new provider fast enough. “To think there may be a period of time where the center might close and that facility won’t be able to provide services to our local community is very disappointing,” said parent, Emily Hickok.
Other parents said this could force them to look into other, more expensive options. “We wouldn’t be able to live here if one of us decides to stay home. In the worst case, we would have to leave. If there’s not enough daycare to support the community, the community leaves,” said Anthony.
In a statement to KION, KinderCare said, “Unfortunately, it’s become increasingly difficult for us to support our Monterey center in the way we would like to given its distance from our other centers. After careful consideration we came to the difficult conclusion to leave Monterey at the end of the year.”
The City of Monterey hopes to discuss potential new child care providers with the city council by the end of August.
