Cuts to child care resource worry users
Ladysmith Chronicle
May 8, 2007
EXCERPT

Ladysmith parents and child care workers will have less information at their disposal following funding cuts to PacificCARE, a Nanaimo-based child care resource and referral program.

Effective April 30, a 33 per cent cut to PacificCARE's provincial funding means the organization will lay off staff in Nanaimo, Campbell River and Port Alberni, while scaling back operations in other areas.

"We won't be able to sit at community tables as often we have in the past," says Shirley Phillips, PacificCARE's executive director.

With PacificCARE's budget pared from $11 million to $9 million, and office staff layoffs in Nanaimo, PacificCARE's childcare consultant for Ladysmith and South Nanaimo, Charlene Ralston, says her jurisdiction will feel the pinch.

"We're probably going to need to be in the office more often," Ralston says. "There will likely be less outreach to the community."

PacificCARE helps parents find child care providers to meet their needs. The organization also provides guidance to parents negotiating the paperwork necessary to get government child care subsidies....

In addition, PacificCARE hosts workshops throughout the year with Ladysmith Family and Friends (LAFF)....

Patti Fraser, who operates Fraser's Child Care in Ladysmith, says PacificCARE has been a critical resource to help her offer the most complete program she can to kids in her care.

In addition to the literature and personal support PacificCARE provides, Fraser says their group insurance policy makes it possible for small operations like hers to purchase liability insurance that would be prohibitively expensive to buy independently.

"I don't know how I would afford it otherwise," she says.

Through PacificCARE's policy, Fraser pays only $80 each year to insure her day-care. To receive that coverage, Fraser must meet PacificCARE's registration standards, which means inspections to ensure all safety precautions are being followed in her home.

Fraser fears dwindling support to PacificCARE will ultimately mean slipping standards at Island day-cares since operators won't get the same oversight and support they had previously had access to.

Despite the cuts, Phillips says PacificCARE will strive to deliver a comparable level of services to what their clients are accustomed....