Derek Neary
Northern News Services

Fort Simpson (Oct 12/01) - A few parents and children showed up at Kids' Corner Daycare Tuesday morning only to find out it was closed.

The building's disabled access ramp needed safety strips to keep the surface from becoming too slippery, day care manager Emma Amundson explained. Parents with strollers sometimes use the ramp as well.

Ann Keizer, early childhood consultant for the Department of Education, performed an inspection of the facility on Friday. She said the safety infraction meant the day care's temporary licence was upheld. Once the situation was rectified a temporary letter of operation would be issued immediately, Keizer said.

The problem was being taken care of that morning and the day care should have re-opened the same day, Amundson noted.

She said she tried to notify all parents of the temporary closure on Monday so they could make other arrangements. That may have been problematic for some parents, as there is no alternative day care in the community.

Keizer said she encourages parents to play a greater role in the day care, preferably forming a committee or board, to help prevent maintenance and safety complications.

"It can help the day care building over some little humps they can go through ... like clearing the lawn or something like that," she said. "There's more ownership too, and parents know what's going on."