Any parent knows that finding a daycare spot for your kids can be a struggle at the best of times.
In the northwest Calgary community of Highland Park, the closure of a long-standing program is leaving fewer options for families in the area — and those who were already a part of it are now scrambling for alternatives.
“When you build those bonds with the children and you’re with them for the majority of the day, and we have good relationships with our parents, it’s disheartening,” said Sumeet Sra, owner of NEXT Kids Daycare.
The Highland Park Community Association didn’t renew the lease of the daycare, which has been running for a decade. It’s set to expire on June 30.
It’s left parents like Anna De Vries without a plan for her son right ahead of the summer months, which can be the most challenging time of year for childcare arrangements.
“He made lots of friends in the program… friends that left because they had to go elsewhere,” De Vries remarked. “It’s hard to see those friendships end.”
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De Vries says the after-school program at NEXT has been instrumental for developing friendships, something she believes is challenging for some children in the classroom setting.
Terry Egenschwiler has two young boys in the program.
“We’ve sort of scrambled, we’ve tried to make plans but mostly we’re just sort of hopeful the board will come to their senses and get this program renewed.”
In a statement, the Highland Park Community Association says NEXT Kids was informed last June the lease would come to an end at the end of March 2026.
The association says a temporary rental agreement was then signed off on to extend the lease until the end of June to align with the end of the school year.
“With our arrangements concluding, the (association) has recently begun exploring opportunities to establish a not-for-profit before and after school care model.”
The association says a volunteer board of directors is taking on the search, but it’s still in the early stages.
Sra says she’s reached out to “every other community centre in the area” to try to find a new home for her business and maintain the service for families nearby.
“Churches, commercial buildings… we weren’t very successful in finding something that would allow us to keep servicing the same schools we do.”
If the lease truly does end on June 30, Egenschwiler and Sra both say it’ll be a sad day for all parents, kids and community members at large.
“We’ve had a few children who did leave, and they were quite sad,” Sra said. “And we still see them when we go to our schools for pickup. And they’re very eager to come back to the program.”
“It’s been here for so long… it’s been a blessing,” Egenschwiler said.
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