Following their own closeddoor meeting Monday and a one-hour session with the board of Community Living Dufferin (CLD) Tuesday, parents of children enrolled at Rolling Hills Children's Place say they don't know whether the day-care centre will remain open beyond Sept. 18.

The only certainty is that the building will revert to Headwaters Health Care Centre by about the end of September unless CLD can be persuaded that the parents can cover most of the costs of keeping it open, or that some other day-care operator would offer a practicable business plan.

CLD chairman David Childs announced the planned Sept. 18 closing last month, and cited a $70,000 annual deficit as the sole reason. He was quoted later as saying CLD would accept a plan that would halve the deficit.

The hospital, meantime, has plans for a new building to house specialists.

Should the day-care centre close, Mr. Childs said Wednesday he believes the hospital would use the building as an interim facility until the new specialists' building has been erected.

Hospital CEO/president Cholly Boland was on vacation and couldn't be reached for comment, and board chair Margot Hornseth was in meetings and not available at press time.

The building is owned by the hospital. The agreement between Headwaters and CLD has always been that it cannot be used other than as a daycare centre, and would be returned to the hospital if such were not the case.

The centre has cared for about 75-80 children, only a few of whom face the kind of challenges that fall within the normal purview of CLD. "We are not in the day-care business. Our focus is on intellectually challenged persons (regardless of age)," Mr. Childs said in a recent interview.

An ad hoc committee of parents has proposed a fundraising effort to cover the day-care deficit, but specific details of the plan have not been released.

A member of the committee would say only that the majority of parents are prepared to make donations of some kind, but the nature of those seemed uncertain, although one parent, Kim Soper, said last week she would be willing to donate $700 up front.

Committee member Donna Capobianco said on the weekend she has been getting offers of voluntary maintenance assistance from trades people, which would offset some of the deficit.

Mr. Childs said in an interview that "both sides would feel the (Tuesday night) meeting went well." He said the parents had done their research, and the positive result of the meeting is that both sides have a better understanding" of their respective positions.

Darren Davidson, who is both a member CLD and a parent, said he is confident the CLD board will get back to the parents "in good time. I trust it will."

He said the board has to deal with several issues, including the union representing the staff.

What is "good time?" Public schools open Sept. 1, and the Sept. 18 deadline is less than a month away.