Parents scramble to find child care after LAUSD schools close due to poor air quality from fires

SHERMAN OAKS, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Thousands of parents were scrambling to find child care after the Los Angeles Unified School District cancelled classes at all schools in the San Fernando Valley Friday.

Poor air quality from fires forced school officials to take the drastic step and alerted parents of school closures Thursday evening.

It was a busy day at WeVillage in Sherman Oaks. Built on a flex-care system, parents can drop off kids for child care at any time. That meant it was a full house. They saw a 40% increase in kids.

"We've gotten 50 phone calls this morning. We have 15 new families that have never used us before," said Karen Beninati, CEO of WeVillage.

Area parks were packed with kids keeping busy for the day. Some students at a Sherman Oaks park opted to have an impromptu outdoor drama class students to make the most out of a day off.