Guidepost Montessori has announced that its Minnesota locations will close by the end of March and has scrapped plans to open two new locations in the state.

“You’re like, wait, ‘Am I going to be left without child care?’” said Amy Wrobel, whose 2-year-old daughter attends the White Bear Lake school.

In an email to families that was obtained by 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS, Guidepost Montessori says its location in White Bear Lake will close on March 31. Meanwhile, two new locations at Eagan and Apple Valley won’t open as originally planned, and its Roseville location will also close.

“In short, the organization’s ability and runway to embrace and tackle the enrollment and financial obstacles at these locations has shortened,” Guidepost Montessori wrote in the email. “To be clear, this decision does not reflect any failure or lack of effort of our school leadership and staff. They have been working immensely hard to build thriving educational communities and deserve our admiration and recognition for their efforts. We are simply at a pass where we must recognize that we cannot sustain these particular locations in our long-term portfolio of schools after continued enrollment and financial challenges.”

According to the email, Guidepost Montessori will help provide resources to families to help them with the transitional process to a new school, including talking with the children about the change, guidance on other educational options, and assistance with transferring records.

State licensing records show the White Bear Lake Center just opened in January and has a capacity of 52 children. The Roseville location’s license was active as of August 2024 and was renewed on Jan. 1. It has a capacity of 74 students.

“We thought they had a great thing going so it’s really disheartening to see they are closing their doors, it’s like ‘What went wrong?’” said Wrobel. “You cannot just say this is a financial problem.”

She and other parents described being blindsided by the news.

Wrobel said she started reaching out to other providers for care starting in April and was told by one child care center that there was a 16 to 22-month wait for a spot. Wrobel explained that, fortunately, a friend who operates a child care center was able to welcome her daughter.

“They had to have come across this problem a lot sooner than Monday night,” said Wrobel, who wanted the company to be more transparent. “If we even knew this was a possibility, we would’ve gotten on a waitlist.”

5 EYEWITNESS NEWS has reached out to Guidepost Montessori for a comment on the closures. This article will be updated if one is provided.