SAN MARCOS, Calif. (KGTV) — The owners of a trilingual preschool in San Marcos are facing eviction and struggling to keep up with more than $600,000 in damages following a fire last year.
Vision Trilingual Preschool has served families for six years, teaching children in Spanish, French and English. But a fire last October has put the future of the private school in jeopardy.
Karyne Begin is trying to replace items and pay her teachers while dealing with an eviction tied to unpaid rent following the fire. She said there have been delays in receiving money from insurance.
"Pretty much half of all the walls, all the furniture… we have over $600,000 in loss," Begin said.
According to Begin, the fire started when a burner was accidentally turned on in the kitchen. The fire activated a sprinkler, causing water damage that resulted in tens of thousands of dollars of loss. There is now an empty space in the kitchen where the stove used to stand.
The school's attendance has dropped by nearly half, now serving only 39 preschoolers. The fire forced families to scramble for alternatives.
"We had to find alternative learning situations. It was at home daycare," Kevin Rosencutter said. "It was tough to figure out a bridge between the accident and where we are today,"
Begin has set up a fundraiser to cover damages from the fire and is fighting to keep the school open.
"I'm gonna fight till the last minute, till they put the key in the door and say you're leaving other than that. You're not gonna get me out of here," Begin said.
ABC 10News reached out to San Marcos Fire to learn the official cause of the fire and Twin Oaks Kiffmann, LLC, the company that issued the eviction notice. A response is pending.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
