Residents await opening of Ladybird Academy of Wickham Park

A new Ladybird Academy location in Wickham Park that was set to welcome families last month still hasn’t opened its doors — leaving some parents with questions and forcing them to find new arrangements for their children.

According to a post from July 17 on the Ladybird Academy of Wickham Park Facebook page, the new location was scheduled to open in August.

As of Tuesday, Sept. 10, the location still hasn’t hosted an open house to welcome families that have enrolled.

That’s left nearby residents such as Amanda Dennin in a bind. Dennin enrolled for the new Ladybird Academy in June and was told that the location would be ready by Aug. 12 when school started. Now, about a month later, Dennin’s son goes to a Ladybird Academy location in Winter Garden — a drive that is 30 minutes out of the way, she said.

“You just never hear anything, and the week before school started, I had to call and found out with calling that if you call and bug them, then they would try and find a substitute place for your child,” Dennin said. “We’re working parents — we literally had no other choice. … It’s definitely been frustrating, and frustrating trying to communicate with them. … It’s kind of left a bad taste in our mouths.”

It was a similar story for resident Keith Donaldson, who recently moved to Horizon West from Ocoee with his family and left a deposit in May to enroll at Ladybird Academy of Wickham Park. His son still is attending La Petite Academy of Ocoee, because the new Ladybird Academy is not yet open. 

“My wife works at the Polynesian (Village Resort), so on the way to work, it would be a lot more convenient for her to go to Wickham Park — that’s why we were hoping to have it open by August or by the very least September,” Donaldson said. “I’d be happy if it was by October at this point. You can’t cry over spilled milk, but at the same time, you have to start getting the wheels rolling.”

Dennin said she spoke with a regional director of Ladybird Academy Friday, Sept. 6, and was told the permitting process was to blame for the delay.

Kelly Finkelstein, senior public information officer for Orange County Government, said Tuesday, Sept. 10, that all building permits have been completed successfully and that the certificate of occupancy has been issued. 

David Ocasio, public information officer with the Department of Children and Families, said Monday, Sept. 9, that a fire inspection report was received Friday, Sept. 6, but other documents still are pending. An initial inspection by the Department of Children and Families is set for Wednesday, Sept. 18.

The Ladybird Academy corporate office and Ladybird Academy of Wickham Park did not respond to multiple requests seeking comment.