Helsinki city authorities have started an investigation into seven daycare centres run by private chain Ankkalampi. The company operates 20 multilingual daycare centres in Helsinki and provides English-language early childhood education in its Duckies groups in several locations.
The city’s construction supervision unit suspects that the centres have not obtained the licenses needed to ensure that buildings are safe and do not present a risk to users.
For example, some daycare units have operated in buildings without adequate air conditioning and emergency exits, and the centre in Lauttasaari may contain asbestos or residues of dangerous substances.
Pentti Ruuska from Helsinki construction supervision said the current situation with Ankkalampi’s permits is complicated. "We have given them permits to fix the buildings but the work has not been done. In one case, the permit has already expired. As a whole, the company has been slow to take care of the required licenses."
"I’ve lost faith in this daycare operator," Ruuska added.
Ankkalampi chief executive Heidi Ruhala told Yle that there are 150 care places in the seven affected daycare centres and the unit in Lauttasaari is the only one currently under threat of closure.
Ruuska, on the other hand, said that the threat of closure affects all seven Ankkalampi centres under inspection in Helsinki. "If we do not get the necessary documents, we may have to close one of the centres," Ruuska declared.
The city’s construction supervision department is also looking into the building permits of another private daycare chain, but Ruuska refused to disclose its name.
The story was first reported by daily Helsingin Sanomat.