Calgary nursery ordered to close over cockroach and mouse concerns

A Calgary daycare was ordered closed this week for violations that included cockroaches in the kitchen and mouse droppings on playgrounds.

Parents with children at Sun Valley Kids Academy and Montessori told Global News Tuesday afternoon that they had to seek alternative care.

According to an email sent before 5 p.m. Tuesday, they are “temporarily closed to address certain issues and carry out critical renovations to bring our facilities up to the highest standards” and warn of potential intruders. controlling company.

Parents received an update on Wednesday that the kindergarten will be closed on February 8 and 9.

“As you know, (Alberta Health Services) has issued guidelines to ensure all necessary safety precautions are in place prior to reopening,” the email said. “Our team has worked tirelessly to implement these measures to ensure the safety and well-being of our children, staff and community. We are currently awaiting approval from AHS and expect to receive confirmation of the response.

According to the parents, the following message arrived soon after:

“Unfortunately, we will be closed for the rest of the week, leaving you all at a disadvantage. But at the same time, I want to assure you that the health and safety of your children is our main concern. After the inspection, we immediately began a thorough inspection of the entire premises in conjunction with professional pest control services and deep cleaners.

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The email listed all the cleaning and maintenance work.

One parent, who emailed but did not want to be named, was not satisfied with the response. He went to the AHS website for more information. That's when he learned the daycare was closed on Feb. 7 for a long list of health violations.

The closure notice said live and dead cockroaches were found in the kitchen's food preparation areas, including on the walls, under the sink and in the refrigerator. The report also stated that dead cockroaches were observed in a kitchen cabinet and drawers.

The report said mouse droppings were found throughout the facility – on the carpet, near the sleeping area and near the play kitchen.

“Mouse droppings have come into contact with children's toys and personal belongings, including bite marks and droppings observed on foam toys in the baby's room,” the report said. “There was no approved solution for food-safe disinfectant in the kitchen. Pine and vinegar were used as cleansers.

The report found that kitchen equipment and surfaces were dirty, a probe thermometer in the kitchen was broken and staff lacked food safety knowledge.

An AHS representative explained that the nursery will remain closed until additional pest control strategies and thorough cleaning are implemented and re-inspected.

“To date, no illness has been reported related to this investigation,” the spokeswoman said in an email.

An email sent to parents from the kindergarten on Friday said AHS was satisfied with the deep cleaning that was done. AHS has another trip scheduled for Saturday.

Global News reached out to Sun Valley Kids Academy but did not receive a response.

A parent who spoke to Global News wondered why the daycare was never informed about why it was ordered to close.

“They didn't say openly what happened (happened). First, it seemed like a voluntary shutdown to fight the infection,” he said.

Calgary parents say it's the most upsetting since last year's E. coli outbreak at Calgary daycare centers required hospitalization of children.

“Our facility has assured us that their cleanliness standards are adequate and they are increasing them to ensure that this does not happen at our facility. So seeing cockroaches in the kitchen and poop all over the establishment shows that they really didn't do anything. Not even the minimum,” he said.

The kindergarten scheduled a meeting with parents for Tuesday.

The order states that the owner has the right to appeal the decision by filing a notice of appeal within 10 days of receiving the order.

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