Parents Upset That Kingston Day Care Remains Closed

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Parents Upset That Kingston Day Care Remains Closed

Owner Says Toxic Mold Forced Closure

POSTED: 4:31 pm EST February 6, 2006

UPDATED: 5:40 pm EST February 6, 2006

Video: Owner Hopes To Open New Day Care Soon

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KINGSTON, N.H. -- The sudden closure of a child care center in

Kingston has left dozens of parents scrambling to find new day care.

The owner of Offspring Kids said that she decided to close the

center a few weeks ago because of mold problems, and she's trying to

reopen in a new location. But parents said that they're getting

frustrated that it's taking so long.

" It gets hard when every day, you're told two more days or

tomorrow's the day, " parent St. said.

St. said that he has had to find other child care arrangements

for his 4-year-old son since Offspring Kids shut down on Jan. 18.

" I think in a situation like this, people have temporary resources

they can use, such as parents, in-laws, neighbors, " St.

said. " But as time goes on, those resources get dried up. "

The owner, Christin O'Brien, said that she shut down the day care

after discovering toxic levels of mold in the basement.

" It's an inconvenience for the community, but we did it in the best

interest of the children, " she said. " The health and safety of the

children is paramount. It's more important to me than making a

dollar. "

Town Health Officer Larry Middlemiss said that O'Brien overreacted.

After inspecting the building, he found that the mold needed to be

removed but didn't pose an immediate health risk. Middlemiss said

that O'Brien could continue to run the day care there while she

looked for a new space.

" She chose to just close down, creating this problem that she's now

got herself into, " Middlemiss said.

O'Brien said that the town should had given her an emergency permit

so she could open the new facility immediately. In the meantime,

she's had her day-care workers take care of some of the children at

their homes.

" We're giving a credit to any family for every day that we're

closed, " O'Brien said. " Plus, for this week, we're crediting the

entire week regardless of when we open. "

O'Brien said that she might be able to open the new facility later

this week. She said that for the most part, parents seem to be

supportive and have even helped fix up the new space.