After being in operation for just months, a child care space in Vancouver has been forced to shut down, and a community is mourning its loss.
Kasey McCandless, the sole individual behind Playsticity, has been building the business for over five years.
“It has been an incredibly long and difficult process, particularly because I was offering a new style of space that isn’t seen elsewhere.”
A variety of factors led to the untimely demise of Playsticity.
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The Fraser Street space opened to the public on Dec. 18, and its closure was announced on Valentine’s Day. McCandless said it was so customers could have two weeks to use their remaining credits before the full closure on Feb. 28.
Some factors that led to McCandless being forced to close included high startup costs and her being the only one involved without any partners, including financial partners.
In January, there was very low registration.
Over the last few years, we’ve seen many news stories about the lack of daycare-type spaces in B.C. and Metro Vancouver and the demand for more. It has been a key political issue in the province. McCandless says she was told families nearby were desperate for before- and after-school options, but she saw zero registrants for those programs. However, she did have requests to be waitlisted for September.
“We were somewhat between a play cafe and a daycare, so licensing and insurance and all that was very complicated. Playsticity has been a dream of mine for so long, and now my heart is truly broken that it can no longer be operational,” McCandless told Daily Hive Urbanized.
She said she had been told for years that her venture would fill a need. However, the low enrollment contradicts that reality for McCandless.
“Daycares have years-long waiting lists. Parents need all the help they can get, and I wanted to offer them something a little more flexible and super high-quality.”
McCandless is a VSB teacher and has been for over a decade. She plans to return to teaching, bringing what she has learned about the importance of play into a classroom.
“Owning a business is all-consuming, and working with my kids is my true calling.”
There has been an outpouring of support and expressions of disappointment from the larger community on social media following the closure announcement.
“I went into genuine shock when I realized we were close to having to close. For the disappointment of our clients, you can see the comments on our Instagram closure post, or I have a number of emails with very heartfelt messages,” McCandless said.
On Instagram, one parent wrote, “This is so sad š¢ I was very looking forward to [coming] here. It looked like such a great space, and I’m sad it didn’t work out.”
Another Vancouver child care business said, “It’s certainly a challenging time to be an entrepreneur.”
Are you a parent who is struggling to find care for your children in the city? Are you a care provider who is struggling to find clients? Email Vancouver@DailyHive.com if you’d like to share your story.