Christine Grimard
Northern News Services
Published Wednesday, August 22, 2007

YELLOWKNIFE - The doors of Edutec Montessori school were shut last week, pending the outcome of an RCMP investigation of a nature that has yet to be fully disclosed.

The doors of the Edutec Montessori were closed last week after the Department of Education, Culture, and Employment suspended the facility's license when a complaint sparked an RCMP investigation. - Christine Grimard/NNSL photo

The Department of Education, Culture and Employment (ECE) suspended the preschool's licence Aug. 15 after a complaint to the RCMP involving "child protection issues" sparked an investigation.

The complaint was made Aug. 13 through the Yellowknife Health and Social Services Authority and the Department of Health and Social Services. The preschool had just opened in January of this year.

Parent Tanya Burt said she enrolled her two-year-old daughter Lexi Burt Aug. 13, paying $450 for her registration.

She brought Lexi into the preschool for her first full day on Wednesday, only to arrive to padlocked doors.

Burt contacted ECE to find out the school had been closed. Not able to get a hold of anyone at the school, she cancelled the payments.

Burt said she was told the school was aware of the complaint prior to registering her daughter.

"They just sort of took the money, I imagine there's a lot of other parents in the same boat," said Burt. "Knowing a complaint was made, maybe they should have held all enrollments."

The RCMP would not discuss the nature of the complaint. RCMP Const. Roxanne Dreilich said the investigation is still in the early stages and ongoing.

McCann said the department suspended the preschool's licence under Section 16 of the NWT Child Day Care Act, which states that the director of child day care services can suspend a facility's licence if he or she "believes on reasonable and probable grounds that the health, safety or well being of a child attending a child day care facility is endangered."

"We had to protect the safety of the children in our facilities," said Shawn McCann, an ECE spokesperson. "It's essential that the investigation is done safely and properly, and this will take time."

Yellowknife Centre MLA Robert Hawkins was critical of the department's decision. Although he's wary of the sensitivity of the issue, he said there should have been more consultation with parents before shutting down the centre.

"I'm wondering if this is a measured approach," said Hawkins. "We don't even know if (the complaint is) true or not. This may sink this facility, a much needed facility."

With up to 30 children ages two to six registered at the school, those parents have all been left without daytime care.

McCann said ECE will continue paying Edutec the early childhood education funding it receives, but will not offer financial compensation to parents to help find temporary day care.

The day care received $90,000 this year from ECE for start-up costs and ongoing funding.

Hawkins said that shutting down the entire centre might not have been necessary, as the department or the city's two school districts could have provided substitute staff.

Edutec Montessori is a private day care facility, employing the Montessori philosophy and methodology developed by 19th century educator Maria Montessori, which emphasized self-directed learning by the pupil.

Raymond Grant, former president and founder of the Edutec Montessori could not be reached prior to publication for comment.