Flood Relief Homeroom Hourly Daycare

When heavy rainfall hit San Diego county on December 6th, my friend Cassie Hall watched as the ceiling of her hourly daycare business swelled with water and collapsed, flooding the entire interior. Acting quickly, she rushed children and classroom pets to safety in the building next door and began the process of calling concerned parents. As rain poured in and submerged the entire facility in several inches of water, Cassie and co-owner Charlie Quirmbach looked on in horror at the mess that only an hour before had been the thriving business that they’d spent thousands of passionate hours building over the last three years.

Heavy rain causes partial roof collapse at child care 

In the week that followed Cassie’s heart swelled as messages of love and support poured in from customers, friends, family, and community. But until now she hadn’t put any thought to asking for financial help from friends, as she expected that the property management company Kimco, who was responsible for the drainage issues that led to the flooding, would be held liable for the damages. Drainage gutters on the roof and throughout the parking lot had long gone uncleaned and blocked with leaves, so that as water pooled with no means of draining, it seeped through ceilings and spilled over parking lot sidewalks causing flooding from all directions in less than an hour. Homeroom also consulted their own insurance company, and with the expectation that compensation would come, they immediately began the process of gutting and drying the unrecognizable scene that used to be Homeroom. Today, with their teams of lawyers and inspectors, Kimco and United States Liability Insurance are denying liability for the damages, offering to replace only the roof and claiming no responsibility for the resulting water damage to the ceiling, floors, and walls—which will all need to be gutted and rebuilt—nor any of the assets inside, including the office, computers, kitchen, toys, rugs, play areas, pet cages, entertainment systems, etc. All of the interior infrastructure had been custom built and undergone the rigorous clearing process required for use with children. Now, with damages estimated in the hundreds of thousands of dollars, the very companies it’s paid into these last three years have told Homeroom that they are on their own.

But Homeroom is not alone. I am writing this as a friend of Cassie’s and as a parent to one of her students. Cassie is going to fight, but in the meantime she has lost her only source of income, as well as the means to pay the amazing teachers who have functioned as the heart of the business since it opened. Meanwhile, hundreds of parents are scrambling to find immediate solutions to child care needs they did not anticipate during the holiday season. So on behalf of Cassie and Homeroom Hourly Child Care, I ask for your help. In this modern age I am never surprised by the callousness of insurance companies and property managers. But I am constantly impressed by the generosity of people. As a community we take care of our own, even when they have been forsaken by the very entities who are supposed to protect them. I am confident that during this Christmas season we can come together to support my friend Cassie and her small business so that she can go back to doing the thing she loves most—caring for kids like my son Cooper, who so misses Homeroom and all the adventures he has between those four walls. Can you spare a moment and a few dollars to keep Cassie’s business alive, and help her move forward? Thank you in advance, and Happy Holidays to all!