DENVER — Parents with kids attending The Wonder Academy in downtown Denver recently learned the childcare facility will permanently close on July 28.
“Early last week, the owner sent a message to all the parents, I think she had received news very shortly before she sent it to us, that the landlord had decided to sell the property to a developer. And therefore, we were being given notice to vacate the facility,” said Philippe Carpin, a parent of two children who attend The Wonder Academy.
Carpin said the owner was told to vacate the property within 30 days but was able to get an extension until the end of July.
“Very upset. Very upset. It takes a lot of effort, you know, to get into a daycare... so upset and sadness for the entire staff, you know. There's about 30 people that work here. They're all being affected,” Carpin said.
Many parents said they were on the waiting list for about a year before being able to secure a spot for their child.
“We've been here for about a year now, and we were super excited to have something that was local, a place where our kids were happy to be and excited to be dropped off,” said Norma Gibson, a parent with two kids enrolled. “We're now on 15 wait lists across the city, which you have to pay for each of those wait lists. All the moves on the wait list are some time between December 2024 and early 2025.”
Peter Knox, who has a 17-month-old son, said his family is also on 15 waiting lists for other childcare facilities.
“Did a bunch of tours last week, doing tours this week… there’s an uncertainty, you know, as far as like, how are we going to care for our kid if we can't find a place? How are we going to work and also take care of childcare if we can't find a place in a daycare?” Knox said.
For Nicole Ford, she worries about finding another preschool that prioritizes inclusion.
“I have a wife, and we wanted to make sure that we felt included. And we wanted a community that was inclusive of the LGBTQ community. And when we had gone to other schools, we didn't quite feel comfortable. But coming to Wonder Academy, it was no problem. We were widely accepted. And the thing for us that made our decision was that every year, the kids, they create their own little Pride parade,” Ford said.
Tom Legueri said he too worries about finding another preschool that accepts children of all backgrounds.
“My granddaughter Winnie attends The Wonder Academy here. My daughter is a single parent, she relies on public assistance to send her, my granddaughter, here through CCAP (Child Care Assistance Program). Most daycare centers don't provide positions for children who need assistance through CCAP. But the Wonder Academy does,” Legueri said. “And now the search begins for, where do we go next?”
Parent Jonathan Boydston said he thinks the city should factor childcare facilities into development plans.
“I just think that there's a childcare crisis in the city. And I really think that it needs to be addressed. And we're one example of that crisis in action. But we really just want to spread the word and hopefully advocate for more policies at the city level,” Boydston said.
In response to a series of questions from Denver7, Chelsea Moran, the owner and founder of The Wonder Academy, released the following statement:
"I own The Wonder Academy so it is a female-owned small business. Our last day of operations will be July 28, 2023 and I am working on providing our families with as many creative resources as possible at this time. Our community is extremely creative and are really coming together in a beautiful way.
All of my communication about this project has been directly through my landlord and I have not had any direct contact with or communication with the developer.
Overall, I believe that Early Childhood Education has been in crisis for a very long time and it feels like our culture doesn’t pay much attention nor care. It is untenable to provide teachers with a living wage and fighting against burn out (especially in Denver) while maintaining any sort of reasonable tuition rate for families. We are a single revenue business – we cannot diversify or add products.
There has been a shortage of spaces, especially in the infant and toddler age range, for well over a decade and yet it’s simply left to the families to figure out a way to find care that aligns with their values and budget. It is heartbreaking that we are closing and the feedback we have received from many of our families and teachers is that they would rather find a way to save our school than work for/take their child to another school. It has been an overwhelming and equally heartwarming and heartbreaking response."
Denver’s Community Planning and Development Department also responded to Denver7’s questions regarding childcare facilities and development.
"The city recognizes the need for affordable and available childcare, and we understand the frustration members of the school must feel. While the city isn’t involved in the lease agreement The Wonder Academy has with the building owner, or the sale of the building, we have already acted through code updates to try to increase access to childcare.
In 2019, the building code was updated to make it easier to provide in-home daycares throughout the city. In addition, in July 2021, City Council adopted updated zoning to implement the Golden Triangle Neighborhood Plan. The updated zoning requires larger developments to provide publicly accessible open spaces and street level uses other than residential to ensure we are retaining spaces in our neighborhoods for essential commercial services, such as a future childcare facility. This zoning applies to key streets, including Acoma between 10th and 11th"
