By Kolby LaMarche

Families in the New North End received abrupt word last week that Frog & Toad Child Care & Learning Center would close its doors permanently, effective immediately. 

The program, long housed inside the city-owned Robert Miller Community and Recreation Center at 130 Gosse Court, had served local children for more than two decades before owner Tiffany Corbett notified parents of the closure via email last week.

“After 26 years of service to our community, I regret to inform you that I have made the decision to close our Burlington location,” the message read. Corbett began processing refunds over the following days, according to several families. The Essex site of Frog & Toad continues operating.

The closure follows two separate investigations launched earlier this year: one administrative review by the Vermont Department for Children and Families’ Child Development Division and a parallel criminal inquiry by the Chittenden Unit for Special Investigations. 

Both center on reports that a longtime male staff member in the toddler classroom may have used inappropriate physical force with children. 

No arrests or formal charges have been announced, and authorities have described the matter as involving one individual rather than broader operational failures.

Public records and city documents show the center had occupied roughly 2,441 square feet of indoor space plus 2,325 square feet of secured outdoor play area under a lease approved by the Burlington Board of Finance in August 2022. 

The agreement, running through July 2027 with a possible five-year extension, positioned Frog & Toad as a community tenant providing essential early education inside a publicly owned facility. City officials have not yet commented publicly on the closure or any plans for the vacant space.

A series of communications from Corbett to families, reviewed by multiple parents, reveals a shifting picture over several weeks. 

In late February, she described the state review as focused on “a specific staff member” and emphasized that the program itself faced no threat of shutdown. 

A follow-up note in early March acknowledged that investigators had requested exterior video because children used the outdoor area, but again stated the center was “not risking closure.” 

By mid-March, Corbett reported that the teacher had been dismissed after preliminary findings of “mishandling,” while noting the difficulty of squaring those conclusions with his 11 years on staff. 

She convened an in-person gathering at the center on March 16 where she once more characterized the issues as limited to a single person and assured attendees the program would continue.

 The center remained open and operational through the end of that week.

Parents described feeling caught off guard when the final email arrived. 

Another parent whose child was reportedly involved confirmed receiving direct outreach from DCF investigators. At least one family began keeping their child home after the March 16 meeting, even as daily operations continued for the rest of the group. 

Several households have turned to relatives for temporary care or begun exploring spots at the Essex location, though many noted that infant and toddler openings remain scarce and often carry higher costs. 

Vermont’s broader childcare shortage has left thousands of families on waitlists, making the sudden loss of 33 licensed spots especially disruptive in this neighborhood.

A former staff member who worked at the Burlington site for about a year said she had voiced internal concerns multiple times before contacting the DCF child-abuse hotline in early February. 

She described observing the teacher strike a child in the stomach, discard toddlers’ meals, raise his voice sharply, and push children into snow piles during outdoor time. 

According to her account, both she and some parents raised these matters with leadership, only to feel they were not fully addressed. 

She was terminated the same day she made the hotline report; the separation paperwork cited “punitive and abrasive” language from an unrelated exchange. 

She shared the document with reporters and called for tighter state-level monitoring of how centers handle internal complaints.

Det. Lt. Richard Weinisch of CUSI confirmed the criminal case began after a referral from DCF and remains active. “This investigation is still ongoing so there is no information available at this time on whether or not criminal charges will be sought,” he stated. 

Criminal cases involving childcare personnel are relatively rare, he added. Janet McLaughlin, deputy commissioner of DCF’s Child Development Division, noted that the decision to close belonged to the owner.

Corbett, who purchased the program in 2005 after running a nationally accredited home-based provider and serving as a county coordinator for other caregivers, holds a master’s degree in leadership, social issues, and public policy along with an associate’s in business. She is a licensed early childhood educator who has occasionally taught college courses.

The sudden vacancy inside the Miller Center raises practical questions for the city as landlord and for New North End families already navigating limited options. 

Some parents expressed appreciation for the prompt refunds but frustration over the rapid reversal from earlier reassurances. Others voiced hope that the investigations will bring clearer answers and stronger safeguards for the youngest children in local programs.

For now, the fenced play yard behind the Miller Center stands empty.