An exhaustive report documenting the need for more childcare resources has left some elated the issue is being addressed.

But information contained in the 52-page draft report is far from good news for the Cowichan Valley.

According to the document, there are enough childcare spaces in the region to accommodate just 50 per cent of children in the Valley who need childcare.

Commissioned by Social Planning Cowichan, it found a lack of spaces and government funding, coupled with trouble recruiting staff, were main contributors to the “crisis.”

As a result of the research, several recommendations have been put forward, including establishing a regional childcare council consisting of local politicians and policy makers…

However, in order to act upon the recommended solutions, Dolan said advocates are going to need the provincial government onside.

“To make a difference now, the council needs to have the ear of Premier Gordon Campbell,” she said.

Dolan, of Growing Together childcare, and others have spent recent months lobbying the provincial government for more money.

They’ve complained of millions being cut from parent care subsidies, benefits and wages since the B.C. Liberals came into power in 2002.

That was followed by the National Childcare Agreement being cut by the federal Conservatives last year .It was replaced with a monthly subsidy.

Those moves pushed the system into a state of crisis, childcare supporters argued, but some feel the SPC report could be the rainbow after the rain.

“I am so relieved and so pleased the community is coming forward,” Dolan said. “All of this is very helpful. From that perspective, I’m hopeful and optimistic.”

While Dolan praises the report and feels it has potential to ignite positive change in the community, she said immediate solutions are still needed.

“We can’t give up the push,” she said. “Something needs to be done now to increase the spaces.”

Non-unionized early childhood educators earn between $13 and $21 an hour.

That gives young people little incentive to enter the field and has resulted in an industry that’s vastly understaffed, Dolan said.

Last week, Growing Together closed early one day because there wasn’t enough staff to look after the youngsters. Being short-staffed also forced Kaatza Day Care Center to shut down for a day last week.

“The wages just aren’t there,” Dolan said. “We need to be able to offer creative opportunities for studying early childhood education at a local level.”…

“No new young folks are going into childcare because the wages are so abysmal.”

The issue of licensed and affordable childcare spaces has been an issue in the Cowichan Valley for years but prior to this report being released, it was viewed as a perception.

This report offers proof the crisis exists, said SPC board chair Candace Spillsbury.

“I think that’s part of what makes it such an important document,” she said. “People are more open to research-based information that shows the reality rather than just stories.

“This tells the complete picture of what the state of childcare is.”..

Refreshing that SPC is reacting to the crisis with such an intensive review and analysis of statistics, Lise said.

“What I find wonderful is that an agency such as Social Planning Cowichan understands an impact children have on our community,” she said.

“This report only helps our community because it is so comprehensive.”