An east Bloomington child care center was being investigated by the state's Department of Children and Family Services when it closed late last year.
Bright Horizons announced in October it was closing at the end of the year. The facility offering day care and early education programs in Bloomington was one of 60 centers in Illinois operated by the Massachusetts-based company.
A spokesperson for DCFS said Bright Horizons Bloomington closed while an investigation was taking place. The agency would not confirm the nature of that investigation and Bright Horizons said that was not the reason for the closure.
Illinois DCFS currently handles licensure for child care centers, in addition to investigating allegations of abuse or neglect. The department’s Sunshine Accountability Project lists Bright Horizons Bloomington's license as “surrendered under investigation.”
Bloomington is the only Bright Horizons center in Illinois whose license is currently listed as surrendered under investigation. The company said the center "made a self-report to the licensing agency and that review was still pending when the center closed."
Certain responsibilities of DCFS and the Illinois State Board of Education are being transitioned to newly formed statewide Department of Early Childhood, which is scheduled to be fully operational in July. That includes funding and licensing of day care centers and preschool programs.
Bright Horizons is the second of three child care centers along Williamsburg Drive to close in recent months. The buildings where it and Kidsville used to be are listed sale. The third, Little Jewels, remains open.
A representative from Bright Horizons confirmed the company’s decision to close the Bloomington center in October. In an email to WGLT Friday, a spokesperson for the Illinois operations team said the location was "no longer viable."
"We regularly evaluate our operations to ensure we are positioned to serve our communities effectively and sustainably," the statement said.
"As part of our standard operating practices, we are required to make self-reports to licensing. Perhaps there was an open review that was not closed out when the license was voluntarily terminated by us as it is no longer needed since the center was closed."
Apart from one facility in Peoria, all Bright Horizons child care centers in Illinois are located in the Chicago metropolitan area.
