Exclusive: Owner of Urbandale Daycare Closes WDM Center Too

Theresa Mulhern, owner of Imagination and Education Station in Urbandale, which closed last week, said in an email today to parents that she is closing her West Des Moines child-care center as well.

The action follows a week of by employees of the Urbandale and West Des Moines centers prompted by employees not getting their paychecks on Sept. 9, media reports, and her Urbandale landlord taking with the Polk County Sheriff.  

Some 78 employees are now out of work and between 350 to 400 children are in need of child care, said Allison Little, a co-director of the Urbandale center and one of the workers who picketed the business. 

Kingdom Kids Academy in West Des Moines on Urbandale Patch saying they would give Imagination Station parents who need child care right away private tours of their center on Sunday. Email them to schedule a tour.

"We're still going to fight for our paychecks," said Jamie Schillinger, one of the picketing workers and formerly co-director of the Urbandale center. However she didn't know exactly what the women would do now.

Parents Bail

In her email, Mulhern expressed sorrow and apologies and wrote: "Our centers are closed permanently as of today."  

Mulhern was not available for comment Saturday. Her cell phones are either turned off or the mailboxes full. She did not respond to an emailed request for comment Saturday. 

"After receiving notices of termination from dozens of families, 22 yesterday morning alone, it became apparent that no matter how hard we tried we were not going to be able to recover. I could not in good conscience continue to accept money from parents and assure them everything was going to be fine," she wrote.

Food Removed

Sara York, one of the picketing workers, said they became suspicious Friday around 6:30 p.m. as they were taking down their picket line when they saw Mulhern and several employees taking four carts of food out of the center and putting them in their cars.

York said it was "hard to watch, because I've had to watch my co-workers on the picket line be hungry all week."

Schillinger said some of the workers will be able to collect unemployment, but many of the women last week were told by employees that there was no computer record that they had worked for Mulhern's company.

Those women will not be able to claim unemployment benefits right away. Many of the picketers also filed claims with the jobs agency for lost wages, but are not optimistic that the agency will get those wages for them quickly.

Schillinger said the women are afraid they now may have to be in line with many other creditors.

Protestors Seek Donations

In the meantime, Schillinger and Little are seeking donations from the public and people who have supported them for the women, many of them single mothers, who do not have any income.

"These girls don't have money to buy diapers and wipes for their kids, or food or to put gas in their cars," she said.

They are looking for a third-party to handle and distribute the donations of food, gas vouchers, and diapers and wipes, she said.