'We are being ghosted': Calgary families frustrated with lack of refund from shut down daycares

A Little Scholars Daycare location is seen in this image taken on Aug. 12, 2024. (CTV News)

A number of families whose children attended Little Scholars childcare centers in Calgary are frustrated they haven’t received a refund after the programs were unexpectedly shut down due to safety concerns in August.

The licences of Little Scholars Greenview, Little Scholars Daycare ECS Ltd. and Little Scholars Daycare Inc. in northeast and northwest Calgary were revoked by the province on Aug. 12 due to what it described as an "imminent danger" to children.

The programs were already operating under probationary status at the time of the closure and recent inspections revealed issues related to the use of physical restraint, confinement or isolation, a lack of supervision and staffing levels.

Families received a letter from the owners on Aug. 27 which committed to a refund for remaining fees.

“Please rest assured that we need to verify your child’s grant and subsidy grant. Once we receive confirmation from the government, which we expect to (be) by approximately Sept. 10, we will issue a refund for any remaining fees," the letter read.

However, six weeks after the closure, nearly a dozen parents and caregivers told CTV News they are still waiting on refunds ranging from a couple hundred to thousands of dollars.

“That has come and gone and now we’re being ghosted,” said Victoria Samuel, whose three-year-old son attended one of the programs.

She said she has reached out to the owners but hasn’t been able to contact anyone from the programs since they were shut down.

“Numerous times through text messages, emails, phone calls, I’ve even stopped by one of the daycares to see if anyone was there and that was a loss.”

Raj Saini, an owner of Little Scholars, initially agreed to an interview with CTV News on Thursday regarding the refunds and status of the daycares but cancelled due to what was described as an urgent matter.

Saini confirmed he’s officially appealed the shutdowns to the Ministry of Jobs, Economy and Trade, which has 30 days to respond after receiving the appeal.

The shutdown impacted nearly 300 children and 70 staff, with families left scrambling to find alternative childcare.

“It was definitely a challenge,” said Danielle Delano who's also waiting on a refund for her two children who attended Little Scholars.

“For us as a family, it has been really frustrating. We haven’t had any communication from the daycare, there has been no transparency, even before the closure as to what was going on.”

After struggling to find childcare due to long waitlists at other facilities, Delano resorted to a private facility which means she no longer qualifies for the subsidies she received previously.

“So, yes we found a space but our family is paying three times the cost for daycare now,” she said. “Affordability right now is such a huge thing in Alberta so even being out of pocket a couple of hundred dollars can be very detrimental for our family.”