RYE, NY (June 23, 2026) — Rob Rubicco, co-owner of Ann and Jack’s Treehouse daycare centers, addressed past coverage by Talk of the Sound during a “Walk N Talk” video filmed at Gagliardo Park in Rye last November.
In the video with interviewer Angelo Scarfone of the PolyMaf Network, Rubicco discussed plans for a new daycare location at the former Rye Pet Mall site and responded to prior reporting.
Rubicco described merchant cash advances taken during COVID as “very very high interest rate loans” on which his companies defaulted but “paid them all back,” and stated that “merchant cash advances are now illegal and we fell victim to them.”
Merchant cash advances are not illegal. They remain a legal form of alternative financing. While certain predatory practices by specific funders have faced enforcement actions, the product category itself has not been banned. Courts repeatedly rejected Rubicco’s arguments that his MCA agreements were usurious loans
Rubicco also referenced business expansion, including opportunities in Scarsdale and Sleepy Hollow and a Hawaii partnership. He said, “if we don’t keep growing, we’re going to lose teachers.” As of today, those Scarsdale and Sleepy Hollow deals have not materialized. The Rye site itself has been sold to another buyer. Rubicco had to sell the Norwalk operation (post-Larchmont opening), meaning the chain is shrinking rather than expanding.
Talk of the Sound will examine the claimed Hawaii partnership (Seedlings program at 1 Hotel Hanalei Bay) further.
In discussing zoning for the proposed Rye daycare, Rubicco said, “what’s interesting about this area is from a zoning perspective, this is the only area in Rye that would accommodate a daycare.” Rubicco said that a zoning text amendment would be needed because “daycare is not a nursery school is not an approved use right now, but given that it is so similar to its previous use,” it could be approved. Rubicco made the unusual comparison that requirements for a kennel and a daycare are almost exactly the same regarding traffic and drop-offs.
The Rye Board of Architectural Review considered an application last night, on June 22, 2026, to convert the former Rye Country Boarding Kennel at 23 Nursery Lane into a business office and storage use area. The proposal includes relocating one door and windows, matching siding, and interior renovations with no new impervious ground disturbance. The site, listed under S/B/L 146.10-1-47, was previously operated as a long-time dog boarding facility. No action was taken on the item at the meeting.
On his 2011 case, Rubicco called it a “knucklehead” mistake in his 20s that resulted in 21 days of shock probation. Court records show he was charged with a felony and entered a plea that reduced it to a misdemeanor, with the case resolving in 2017. Rubicco was about 28 years old at the time of the 2011 arrest and approximately 34 when the case was resolved in 2017. He opened his daycare business in 2013.
Talk of the Sound’s coverage has been based on public court filings, Office of Children and Family Services records and other verifiable sources.
This article was prepared with the assistance of AI tools under the direction and editing of Robert Cox.
Have information about this story? Email robertcox@talkofthesound (preferred) or contact via WhatsApp: +353 089 972 0669.
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