Comox Valley's childcare promoted with entertainment
Vancouver Island News Group -- Comox Valley Record
26 Sep 2007

… With funding in hand, the pair said a group of interested individuals met and came up with the idea for the event, which will promote childcare and give parents a venue to ask questions and gain a greater understanding of childcare issues in the Valley.

According to Lindsay, the issues impacting Valley childcare include the provincial government cut in operating funding, startup funding cuts as well as childcare resource and referral cuts. There are also issues with the universal benefit to parents and the Childcare Subsidy Program.

Adding them all up, the result is not enough money to create much-needed daycare spaces for the Valley's children and parents footing a bill with their already-stretched dollar, said the co-chairs.

Lindsay said the operating funding provided by the provincial government was decreased by 27 per cent on July 1, leaving operating deficits of between $12, 000 and $20,000 per year at most childcare facilities.

Although public outcry forced the government to recently increase the fund, it was not to the original level.

"These deficits were passed on to parents, resulting in centres raising their fees or lowering staff wages," Lindsay said. "Fewer families are able to afford quality childcare."

Batho explained that there is also no incentive for new centres to open, as there has also been a cut in major capital funding.

"Most likely, no new centres will be built and waitlists will get longer," Batho said. "Larger centres have more than 60 families on their waitlists and many are not taking any new names."

Lindsay said the universal benefit to parents does help some, but not much.

"While parents appreciate the $100 that the government has given them each month, it is not always put towards childcare," she said. "Where parents choose to spend this money is their decision. The $100 -- which is taxed -- is not a national childcare policy and address the issue of new spaces."

Struggles are also being felt with the changes in the childcare subsidy system.

"We used to have a local office where parents could go and discuss their subsidy needs with a representative," Batho said. "Now these offices have been shut down and parents have to phone Victoria, resulting in many delays, miscommunication and confusion. Parents also have to fill out a lengthy and complicated booklet in order to qualify for subsidy the only help they receive is from our local childcare resource and referral office (which has also faced cuts) or a child-care provider."

Batho added that a number of the questions can be answered only by subsidy staff so there are even more delays or incorrect information being sent in.

"The delays result in childcare providers not receiving their subsidy payments in a timely manner, and create an inability to pay their staff and operating costs," she said. "Trained early childhood educators are paid an average of $12.30 per hour. It is difficult to find staff to employ and even harder to find a substitute."

Lindsay said the struggles in the childcare system are also having a major impact on the business sector of the Valley, a direct impact on growth and economic prosperity.

"Families looking for childcare cannot enter the workforce until they have childcare in place," Lindsay said. "With centres in the Valley already being full, parents need to turn down employment or find alternatives, which could be unlicensed and/or unregulated and not always adequate."