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A number of employees at an “early learning centre” in Kingston’s east end allege they have been terminated, had their hours cut, or parted ways with the facility — all due to unpaid wages, according to the employees.
And now that child-care facility has closed, at least “temporarily,” according to communications sent to parents of children who attend the centre. The parents received the communication around 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, May 13, 2025. The next morning, the centre was closed, and parents have not been told when it might reopen, they claim.
The exodus of employees (at will or by alleged termination) comes after the child-care centre, located in the Riverview Plaza on Highway 15, lost its franchise agreement due to code violations (according to the franchise), then its funding through the Canada — Ontario Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care agreement (CWELCC) (as indicated in communications from the centre to parents of children enrolled there). According to employees (both current and former) as well as parents of children that attend the child-care centre, the issues began in 2024.
In 2024, the child-care centre was an accredited Tiny Hoppers daycare facility. Sometime around the end of 2024 or beginning of 2025, the ownership and management seemed to change, according to employees (current and terminated), as well as parents of children who attend the facility. Kingstonist investigations have found that at least four employees claim they were not paid over the period of time from December 2024 to February 2025, though each was not paid for different periods of time, according to both former and current employees. Parents of children at the centre say there have been unpaid employees of the 10 employees at East Kare Early Learning, and the parents report that when the employees asked about the pay, those employees were not given a timeline on when they might receive payment. As a result, some of those employees refused to show up for work on a handful of days last month.
Current and former employees also claim that when they asked about their unpaid wages, they were threatened with termination and/or reduced hours. Some of those employees claim they were, in fact, terminated, while others report their hours were drastically reduced. Multiple employees say they have led complaints with the provincial Ministry of Labour. In response to Kingstonist inquiries, the ministry confirmed this.
“With respect to your request regarding East Kare Early Learning Centre, the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development is currently looking into claims led and [is] not able to provide further details at this time,” a spokesperson for the ministry told Kingstonist in late April 2025.
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There have been 22 inspections at the centre in the last three years. Problems noted in the provincial database indicate violations ranged in risk from “critical” for things like the improper storage of and protocols for dispensing of medications or not ensuring every child is supervised by an adult at all times; to “high” for things like not keeping daily attendance records, not implementing a playground safety policy, and not implementing the policies and procedures required with regard to criminal record checks and vulnerable sector checks; to “moderate” for things such as not providing adequate play materials, not maintaining daily records of any incidents, and not ensuring each child spends at least two hours outdoors daily (weather permitting).
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