Parents frustrated after Novato preschool suddenly shut down

NOVATO, Calif. (KGO) -- Dozens of parents in the North Bay are frantically searching for a new place to send their kids after a preschool suddenly shut down.

If you're a parent, you know how difficult it can be to find proper daycare or a preschool.

Imagine the surprise to parents and staff who learned as late as this morning that the Bridge Point Academy preschool in Novato had closed.

"We have been struggling awhile. We had no idea how bad it was," Bridge Point Academy Director Margaret Roland said.

Now, at the Bridge Point Academy the staff knows and also the parents. Last weekend, the school announced it is closing effective immediately, leaving parents scrambling to find new places to put their kids. "We're trying to find out if anyone has any space because school is already in session. It's last minute registration for our kids," Michael Salas said.

The school had at least 50 students enrolled. Several parents who never got word the school was closing dropped off their kids and found staff there to help them anyway, even though they lost their jobs and their last paychecks bounced. "We can't make everything better for everybody and that is very frustrating,"teacher Debbie Hillcock-Watson said.

The school's owner, Chiki Fleischman-Frazier, did not go on camera. In an email she told ABC7 News that, Bridge Point Academy had been in a pending sale for months, so some parents got word of it and pulled their kids out, which then led to a financial hardship for the school.

In a statement Fleischman-Frazier said, "It hurts me extremely to close the doors," she said. "I have assured the teachers they will be getting compensated."

As for parents who paid tuition in advance, there is no word on whether they will be getting their money back.