Dozens of parents suddenly find themselves without day care, after KinderCare in Manhasset abruptly reduced its enrollment due to staffing shortages.

The day care's district leader sent some families a message on Thursday which said, "After careful consideration, my manager and I made the difficult decision to reduce the number of children we care for at our Manhasset center. I'm sorry to tell you that as of Monday, February 5th, we won't be able to care for your child."

Parents were stunned after only receiving a few days' notice.

“This has been absolutely the biggest nightmare that we could have imagined,” says parent Dawn Tsui.

KinderCare offered affected families a transfer to other facilities in Manhattan. But parents told News 12 they want to send their kids to a day care close to home.

Parents said they want priority to be given first to children with special needs and to be compensated for the entire 2023-2024 school year.

"We've been here so long and are loyal to this place,” said Mimi Cha, one of 34 parents who signed a letter to corporate leaders at KinderCare that demanded reconsideration.

“We did the best we can to try and make things work for them and help them out…At last minute they pulled this on us, that's why so many parents are caught off guard and upset about the whole situation," she said.

In a statement, the company says it's actively working to recruit and train new teachers.

KinderCare would not say how many families are affected.

A group of families affected by the reduction in enrollment wrote a letter to KinderCare. Read the letter below: