It’s been well over a year since the Stepping Stones Learning Center abruptly closed, leaving hundreds of families without day care and staff members without a job.

Wednesday, an auction was held by Genesee Regional Bank at the facility in Irondequoit for the items left inside the building.

Most of the people at the auction were with another child care service looking to find equipment for their facilities. 

However, Cindy Anderson with Clinical Associates of the Finger Lakes, along with several other providers, said the experience was bittersweet. 

“It’s sad to walk around and see the facility. It’s so large and there’s so many wonderful things for the kids that they would be able to use if were it still running,” said Jackalyn Cole, Special Education Supervisor at Clinical Associates of the Finger Lakes.

News cameras were not allowed into the auction but things like filing cabinets, office equipment, radios, and children toys were up for grabs.

Dawn Jennings, who used to work for Stepping Stones, was at the auction and was not happy with what she saw.

“Many of these items being auctioned off today belong to the staff and because they didn’t have enough time to get them out, they will never get them back unless they purchase them again,” said Jennings. “I left a chair in there that I purchased for a $120, it was in the auction.” 

But that’s not why she walked out overwhelmed on Wednesday.

“It’s really sad because the place did such great things for the kids in our community and to see that it’s all being sold off in an auction, to be turned into a storage facility, is really sad,” Jennings.

We reached out to the the Town of Irondequoit who confirmed that the Stepping Stones building will be used for a climate-controlled storage facility.