While it might not be as titillating as a group of National Hockey League general managers salivating over potential free agents, news that child-care centres are trying to lure workers away from other employees is troubling.

A lack of qualified workers has providers of day-care services scrambling to fill staff positions.

Owners of day cares in the Nanaimo area says that many students enrolled in early childhood education programs no longer see the day-care work as a viable career, and now simply use it as a stepping stone for other fields.

Without better paycheques as the dangling carrot, staffers are now looking elsewhere.

Next week, the Ladysmith Children's Centre -- the town's only licensed group day care -- will shut its doors permanently after a dozen years in business…

Once her decision became public knowledge, she received a host of calls from her peers. They all wanted to snap up her staff.

The solution in this case (more cash) must come from upper levels of government.

The province acknowledges the industry problem with staff retention, and points to $4.5 million in grants earlier this year, designed to support early childhood educators for training and professional development.

And, of course, they were quick to pawn off responsibility on their federal counterparts, complaining they are without $152 million annually, due to the cancellation of the former Liberal government's Early Learning and Child Care Agreements…

Clearly this is not enough, especially since parents will be the ones ultimately paying the price.

If day cares are forced to close, that means fewer slots (and potentially higher prices for those slots) for the youngsters.

And if making other arrangements with parents, aunts, uncles, cousins, friends and neighbours proves untenable, it may simply mean parents will abandon the workforce completely.

While that might please some of the June Cleaver, 1950s-style family unit proponents (mommy stays home while daddy brings home the bacon), that is not as realistic in 2007, where the price of an average home pretty much dictates two incomes are required.

It's not like these centres are mere babysitting services.

Our most precious resource -- our children -- is being left in the hands of trained professionals, often getting a huge jumpstart on their schooling careers and acquiring important social skills. These skills surely worth more than 100 bucks a month.