Dozens of Coquitlam parents are scrambling for daycare in the new year after the city-run building it was in was shut down.

The head of the Board of Directors of Step by Step Child Development Society told parents in a letter that they were told only Tuesday night that their kids could not return to Scout Hall in Blue Mountain Park.

"We have been advised by the city that Scout’s Hall is structurally unsound and we are not able to occupy that building," Nicole Isherwood wrote in the letter.

"The City did not give us any notice of this closure and we have no date of Scout Hall re-opening. We are required to suspend care for your children in the afternoons until further notice," she wrote.

Twenty-five kids use the day care after school at Porter Elementary. Among them is nine-year-old Zeneva Foster, whose single mom Andrea Foster can’t believe the city didn’t tell parents and the daycare society earlier.

“What are we all going to do? How could the city pull the rug from under so many families’ feet?” she said.

“It’s hard to believe that different parts of the city weren’t able to come up with co-operative solutions to figure out how they could change venues without disrupting and removing child care altogether,” she said.

Coquitlam crews could be seen outside and inside the building examining it Wednesday, but referred questions to the city's manager of parks.

Coquitlam director of parks Raul Allueva told CTV News that routine maintenance of the building had discovered small amounts of dry rot.

He said work could begin on the building quickly and hopefully return it to use before the children return to school on Monday.

"We will have a review of this done by the end of the week," he said. "Realistically repairs could be made."

The city is trying to find a place for the kids to go on city property, he said.

The non-profit society is also trying to find another location for the children, but says it could be tough going because even if they find a new space it must be approved by both the city and Fraser Health.

“At this point in time, Scout’s Hall has been closed until further notice. We’re looking for other arrangements, but first we have to find a location. It has to be sutable to have it meet all the licensing requirements,” said Step by Step director Amy Reid.