Violations Preceded Beverly Daycare's Decision To Close

BEVERLY, MA -- The state blocked the Learning Zone in Beverly from taking on new enrollments in February and again in May after the daycare center was cited for multiple violations by the Department of Early Education and Care. That may have prompted the abrupt decision by its owner to close the center effective July 13, according to former employees. The violations ranged from having teachers start work before their background checks were completed to not maintaining state-mandated teacher-to-child ratios.

Melissa Ananias, who also runs Learning Zone daycare centers in Belmont and Framingham, did not respond to a request for comment. Earlier this month she sent a note to parents saying the daycare center would permanently close on July 13, leaving parents scrambling to find childcare for their children.

A former employee who spoke on the condition of anonymity said Ananias was rarely at the center from the time it opened in April 2016 until January 2018, when the director was fired. Ananias then took over day-to-day operations of the Beverly location, the former employee said in a phone interview.

In addition to the background check and ratio violations, EEC cited the Beverly location of the Learning Zone for offering free daycare to employees, a practice which is not allowed when a daycare facility accepts vouchers from the state to provide child care to low-income families. During spot checks EEC also found assistant teachers left in charge of classrooms; state law requires a certified teacher to be present at all times. And the state also found that some employees were allowed to start working at Learning Zone before they had completed their CPR certifications.

When the state penalized Learning Zone in February and May by blocking it from accepting new customers, Ananias told parents the center was full and did not disclose the disciplinary actions. The abrupt closing of the center has led to rumors and speculation, with some parents being told that the center was closing because Ananias's commute from her home in Needham had become too burdensome, others being told enrollment had never taken hold as had been projected and still others being told the day care center's rent at Cummings Center was increasing.

Regardless of the reason for the closing, many parents contacted Patch Tuesday and expressed outrage at how the closing was handled. One parent who contacted patch said she was told by staff as recently as April that the daycare center would be expanding in September.

"Now I'm questioning what the real reason is as she had told parents in the email that it was about her commute," the parent said in an email to Patch. "I'm so mad. I had only been going there for two months and we had loved [our son's teacher]. I can only hope she can find another job fast enough. And we too are now on the hunt for a new daycare, which is also very hard as we are scrambling with the short notice."

Kacy Jauron of Northeast Arc contacted Patch Monday to say their Danvers-based daycare center had some openings and encouraged Learning Zone parents to contact them about availability. Brandy DeAlmeida, the owner and director of Little Hands Children's Center in Danvers, made a similar offer to Learning Zone parents in an email to Patch.

Other parents said in recent months their credit cards had been billed for monthly tuition payments days before the agreed-upon date. Another employee said several of the staff members' paychecks bounced in recent months. Another time, W-2 forms showed that taxes had not been withheld so employees had to wait until the problem was corrected before they could get paid.

Staff complained that their assignments were constantly being changed and that kids were being moved from room to room "like pawns." When one parent threatened a lawsuit, Ananias said he "was crazy and had nothing better to do," according to one of the former employees that contacted Patch.

Earlier: Parents Scramble After Beverly Daycare Abruptly Announces Closing

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Dave Copeland can be reached at dave.copeland@patch.com or by calling 617-433-7851. Follow him on Twitter (@CopeWrites) and Facebook (/copewrites).