MAPLE LAWN, Md. — These days finding daycare is hard enough as it is, but what about having less than 24 hours notice to find a new one?
WATCH: Daycare shutdown after license suspended by state
That's what happened to parents with children who attend the Columbia Academy at Maple Lawn daycare on Tuesday after the Maryland State Department of Education issued an emergency suspension of the daycare's license, largely due to staffing shortages.
“I don’t think anyone expected that the school would just shut down," parent Anita Gulati said.
WATCH: IN FOCUS: Day care inspection
Anita and her husband Ankur are one of many impacted by the sudden closure. Both were working from home on Wednesday taking care of their 3-year-old son, because they don't have child care yet.
"All those parents are looking for their kids, right? So it's a mad dash to find a place," Anita said.
Their son's class was already canceled on Tuesday because of staffing. The couple say things were great at the daycare, one they chose for convenience and for its curriculum, until last month.
That's when they noticed major staffing changes and turnover, beginning with their son's teacher.
"I think the last straw was really just, the director and the assistant director leaving on the same day with no notice," Anita said.
On Monday, the company that owns the daycare, Endeavor Schools LLC, assured parents on a call they were working to address issues. By the next day they were ordered to close.
Ankur wonders if they knew this was a possibility.
"They could have given parents advanced heads up so we can start preparing for it. They did not do that," he said.
The state provided a letter to parents, which says that they had received a complaint on Monday. It cites multiple violations by the daycare center: Program records, staff records, capacity, child security, individualized attention and care, as well as group size and staffing.
In an email to families, Endeavor Schools indicated they will be appealing the state's move, characterizing its license as "temporarily paused" in a statement to WMAR-2 News.
The company confirmed it is "partnering with the Office of Child Care to address staffing ratio concerns" and there are ongoing open interviews for additional staff. It also reports its supporting families with temporary placement options at sister schools.
The company owns seven others in Maryland, mostly in Howard County.
The closure does not impact any of the other schools.
According to the Department of Education, a hearing will be scheduled within seven days of an appeal request, and an administrative law judge will issue a decision within seven days of the hearing.
But for the Gulatis, they don't plan to use Endeavor's services again, even if they reopen. They say the trust is already broken, and their son is in a critical stage of development.
"That's why we want really good teachers to stay. Companies need to acknowledge that it's not just for profit," Anita said. "Things have to go beyond that. Have a great culture. [We] want teachers to stay, want them to get paid, but [also] want them to be appreciated and valued.”
See full statement from Endeavor Schools:
The school is partnering with the Office of Child Care to address staffing ratio concerns, and its license is temporarily paused during this review.
Open interviews for additional staff are underway, and current teachers have been offered temporary reassignment at other Columbia Academy locations. We are also supporting families with temporary placement options at our sister schools, where possible. We look forward to soon resuming operations and continuing to serve our families and the local community.
