Philadelphia Daycare Collects Tuition, Shuts Down

Only on FOX 29: Parents want answers and their money back from a daycare that wasn't even supposed to be operating. 

Pennsylvania state inspectors thought they had shut the daycare down last summer.  but the business, called "In the Beginning," kept operating under the radar, and kept collecting tuition from parents.  When Philadelphia city inspectors returned last week, they shut it down again, leaving parents stranded.

Several parents contacted Fox 29 about the daycare, which is located on Wynnefield Avenue.  The parents had paid registration fees and tuition for November.  "I'm stuck in the middle of the year trying to find a school to place my son, and everybody is pretty much full," Angelina Geiger explained.

Two daycare officials told Fox 29 they had no idea they weren't allowed to operate.  Wanda Lewis is a registered trustee for "In the Beginning."  When she spoke to Fox 29 briefly on Wednesday outside the daycare, she told only a fraction of the story.  "This is why they shut the place down because of the food license," Lewis insisted.

But state inspectors found a long list of problems when they showed up in July:  the daycare had no license, no approved program for the kids, and no background checks done on the employees.  Last week city inspectors returned and found no working fire alarm, and a collapsing roof.

"I asked them was there problems or any issues going on.  They said everything was fine, they'd take care of it, just pay tuition," Geiger said.

Fox 29 asked Wanda Lewis whether the daycare would refund the parents' money.  "Oh absolutely," Lewis insisted. Lewis wouldn't say when parents would get their money back.  

"I don't think they handled it well at all," another parent told Fox 29.  "I feel that it's a disgrace to continue to take money, and you know what's going on.  And I don't know if they're going to repay these parents."

"If they was to ever open back up I definitely would not come back," Geiger said.  "I wouldn't refer anyone.  I've referred several people here, I have about five friends and we're all stuck."

Brandon Jackson is one of the daycare's registered owners.  He told Fox 29 it was all a big misunderstanding, and also promised to return parents' money.  Jackson said it would take 30 to 60 days.