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StumbleClosure of child care center leaves parents scrambling
Torey Van Oot / Las Vegas Sun
The Robindale Road branch of La Petite Academy, a private child care and early education center in Henderson, will close its doors on June 26, the school’s parent company announced Wednesday.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009 | 5:36 p.m.
Beyond the Sun
A national child care and private kindergarten provider announced today it is closing one of its six Henderson locations, sending parents scrambling to make other arrangements for the summer and next school year.
Officials at La Petite Academy on Robindale Road told parents dropping off their children this morning that the facility will be shuttered on June 26.
“We’re practically devastated,” said Eric Padilla, whose 6-year-old daughter and 4-year-old son have both attended La Petite since 2006. “My kids have known all those teachers for their childhood and now we have to figure out what to do, and we only have three weeks to do it.”
La Petite Academy is operated by Learning Care Group, a for-profit child care and early education services provider. The company operates 571 La Petite Academies in 36 states and Washington, D.C. Company officials released a statement saying their lease, the age of the building and the demand for child care in the area were factors in the decision to close the site, which is licensed to serve up to 162 children from nursery school to kindergarten. Officials would not provide enrollment figures for the specific site.
The company said it would work with parents to find child care, including offering to transfer students to its other locations. Learning Care Group operates 15 other facilities in the valley, including five in Henderson.
Several parents said they had not seen any warning signs that the facility was in danger of closing, and the property manager said he was unaware the company would not be renewing its lease.
“I just find it frustrating that on the surface the location seemed to be doing really good. You never heard any complaints and the classroom always seemed full, so it just doesn’t make any sense as to why all of a sudden they’re closing down another location,” said Elvis Rowe, whose 4-year-old daughter attends the school.
Rowe said his daughter came to La Petite Academy in late 2008, after the child care program she was enrolled in at the time shut down. That facility, Childtime Children’s Center in Las Vegas, was one of two other programs in Las Vegas run by Learning Care Group to shut down in the last year, according to Clark County business license records.
Eric Padilla, who has a son and daughter at the academy, said he and his wife were upset that the decision was announced so close to summer and on the same day as the school’s graduation ceremony.
“The immediate areas are going to be flooded with all the displaced kids, so now we’ve got to do something quick about it, and my wife and I have busy schedules,” he said.
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My daughter attended La Petite Academy since she was 1 and a half. She just Graduated from kindergarten yesterday. I'm very sad to see it closing. The ladies in that school played a big part in her development. The teachers are truly loving and passionate about child care. It is a shame that we have lost La Petite Academy on Robindale Road. Our community is the lessor for it. I wish the best for all of these wonderful people. I can't thank them enough.
Elli's Dad
For parents and staff looking for high quality care Children's Learning Adventure is opening a beautiful new facility at 69780 W. Robindale Road.
Children's Learning Adventure is opening new facilities throughout the Las Vegas market and plans to have 20 state of the art centers operating in Las Vegas over the next 24 months. Three new locations are under construction with Summerlin, at 10405 Griffith Peak Drive, and Henderson at 11183 S. Eastern Avenue, and the Robindale sites opening this fall.
Children's Learning Adventure combines beautiful facilities with a comprehensive staff training program and cutting edge curriculum to provide children with best learning environment in the industry.
For more information on employment and/or enrollment opportunities you can log on to www.childrenslearningadventure.com.
If you are looking for an established academic christian environment for your child, I recommend Angels Christian Academy in Henderson. They have a wonderful reputation for providing loving care and great education for ages 6 weeks-Pre-K! (www.angelschristianacademy.com)
I direct the University United Methodist Child Development Center across the street from UNLV. We are open M-F from 7:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. and serve children ages 6 weeks to 6 years. We also have a summer program for school age kids. Our playground is newly re-modeled and has built in water features. Come check us out!
Amy Robinson