Closure of Kelowna child-care-finding service worsens crisis, director says
The Daily News - Prince Rupert / Canadian Press
15 Jan 2007

KELOWNA, B.C. (CP) -- An Okanagan service that helps parents find day-care providers is closing because of government funding cuts.

Executive director Lynn Burgat says the Kelowna Child Care Society's day-care resource and referral program will cease operation Oct. 1. She says after that, parents will be on their own finding day-care options.

She says Kelowna already has a child-care crisis and the closure will only worsen the situation.

The Kelowna referral service provided assistance to more than 5,000 families last year....

Also, child-care providers will not have access to various training and support programs, raising fears about the drop in the quality of their service.

"More children will be at risk in low-quality care environments," Burgat says.

The Conservative government eliminated the Early Learning and Child Care agreement, which saw money transferred to the provinces to be used in a variety of ways, including the funding of day-care referral services. ...