SALMON ARM – They had hoped for more, but the folks at Shuswap Day Care and the Shuswap Children’s Association had to settle for an invitation to outline their concerns and funding requests in letters.

Prior to a visit Friday by Linda Reid, Minister of State for Children, Shuswap Day Care manager Karen Bubola expressed the hope that a funding announcement would be made.

But Reid, accompanied by Shuswap MLA George Abbott, toured the daycare and reiterated to Bubola, Shuswap Day Care president Kari Wilkinson and treasurer Don Derby that the Conservative’s killing of the federal child-care plan established by the federal Liberals had a severe impact on the province’s ability to fund child-care programs.

“We have 84 applications for the $14 million we have available,” she said.

When asked if some of the province’s $4 billion surplus could be directed to child care, Reid and Abbott said much of it was being directed to health care.

“It’s one of the reasons we can accelerate capital programs,” he said. “It’s one reason Kelowna, Vernon and Salmon Arm are getting expansions.”

Nonetheless, Reid told those gathered at Shuswap Day Care she was impressed with the day care and with their fundraising efforts towards the purchase of land and a portable in which to continue their after-school program.

Reid asked Bubola if she had written to her asking for funding, to which Bubola indignantly pointed out the Minister of State for Children website clearly indicated applications were not being accepted.

“Send me a letter as quickly as possible, it makes far more sense to act on ones (projects) that are closer to being ready to hit the dirt,” she said, noting that if she receives a request from Shuswap Day Care they will have a reply by November. “We’ll partner with established providers.”

Following the tour of Shuswap Day Care, Reid met with Lynne Wickett, Shuswap Children’s Association administrator, Jan Lacko, early childhood development co-ordinator, Cathy Pengelly, co-ordinator of the local Child Care Resource and Referral Program, Leigh-Anne Chapman, owner of Ladybug Landing and Janet McClean-Senft, administrator of Eagle Valley Resource Centre in Sicamous.

Wickett says Reid was receptive to local child-care workers’ concerns and, once again, recommended the group write a letter…

But Wickett said when the subject of funding came up, particularly in neighbouring Alberta, where a lot of money has been poured into child-care programs recently, Reid replied it is because that province is debt-free.

One possibility for increasing local child-care programs could be by fitting into a local hub – community places where a lot of different programs are offered.

“Fitting into that would make us eligible for more money,” she said.