Parents Demand Immediate Action After Daycare Sexual Assault Claims

UPDATE: Parents of children at Willowbrae Academy Mill Creek in Edmonton are urgently calling for stricter regulations on daycare operations following shocking allegations of sexual assault involving multiple children. The allegations surfaced after a former daycare worker, Dilpreet Singh Chawla, aged 32, was charged with two counts each of sexual assault, sexual contact, and sexual counsel. A warrant for his arrest was issued on July 16, but he has since fled the country.

In a shocking turn of events, parents were left uninformed for nearly three months about the accusations. An email from the daycare on August 22 described a “serious incident,” but it was only at a town hall meeting on September 8 that parents learned the full extent of the allegations from the mother of a victim. This delay has left many families feeling betrayed and alarmed.

Thomas Kyle, a parent with a child at the daycare, expressed his outrage. “It took around 80 days for parents to become informed of what had happened, to start the process of talking to their children,” he said in an interview. “I examined the law and regulations for Alberta daycare operators, and what I found was disturbing.”

Under the Early Learning and Child Care Act, daycare providers are required to report abuse allegations, but they are not mandated to inform parents directly using clear language. This loophole has raised serious concerns among parents who believe they should have been informed immediately to safeguard their children.

On September 16, a group of parents reached out to Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides requesting a review of the situation. They expressed their frustration over a lack of communication and the time it took for the daycare to disclose critical information. “It took parents escalating and pushing hard before a town hall was held,” the letter stated, highlighting the need for immediate and clear communication in such severe matters.

During a recent legislative session, NDP MLA Marlin Schmidt brought the parents’ concerns directly to Nicolaides, urging him to address the issues at hand. “Will the minister commit to meet with these parents…to apologize and to tell them how his government will fix the policies that kept them in the dark?” Schmidt asked.

Minister Nicolaides responded that his ministry would continue to review the practices in place to ensure children receive the best care possible. After the session, he admitted he had not seen the emails from parents but expressed willingness to discuss the matter further. “I’d be interested in talking a little bit more with those individual parents to see if there are any gaps and if there’s more that we can do,” he stated.

Meanwhile, the Alberta Crown Prosecution Service is currently deliberating whether to pursue Chawla’s extradition, which would involve requests to the federal government. The urgency of this decision is compounded by the need for accountability and justice for the victims and their families.

As this situation unfolds, parents and advocates are calling for immediate reforms to ensure that no other family has to endure the same ordeal. The need for transparency and direct communication in cases of child abuse is paramount, and families are demanding action to protect their children.

Stay tuned for the latest updates as this story develops.