Of the children up to age 12 needing quality, affordable child care in the Cowichan Valley, only 50 per cent of them can get it.

That's according to the draft of Social Planning Cowichan's report on child care released two weeks ago.

What's more, said Candace Spilsbury, chair of Cowichan Social Planning, "within that, the zero-to-three aged children range, there are only 11 per cent of the spaces there are required," meaning many parents are left in the lurch when it comes time to think about where they might send the kids for early childhood education.

"The situation is quite desperate," Spilsbury said from the steps of Duncan City Square, where she and others awaited the arrival of long-distance runner Shelagh Germyn Sunday afternoon.

Germyn stopped in Duncan on her way from Campbell River to Victoria ….
"Parents have issues with both work and school and trying to juggle accepting child care in unlicensed places, band-aiding, one day here one day there, so it is a huge issue for parents," said Spilsbury.

Some parents, she said, can't afford quality child care while others may be able to afford it, can't find open spaces for their kids….

In Duncan she was met but a group of around 50 supporters cheering on her and her message.

Cowichan-Ladysmith MLA Doug Routley rode his bike alongside Germyn for her run into town.

"I am so pleased and so proud of our community to embrace Shelagh and embrace this whole effort," he said. "I'm dismayed when I see what appears to be a province that has given up on restocking the shelves, to put it in very pragmatic terms. This is the most basic investment in our future. It's just wrong. We have to stand behind families. It's not a choice -- it's imperative."

Routley said that, along with officials from Campbell River, he's headed to Victoria to drive home the point. "If not now, when? There's just been so many people that have gone without service."

Growing Together's Kathy Williams said the lack of service is alarming.

"We're in such shortage that there isn't any place for the children to go," she said. "One of the reasons for such a shortage on space is because of the fact that the wages for early childhood educators is so low people are choosing not to have this profession."

Williams said the wages for child and youth care, as opposed to early childhood educators, are better, so would-be workers are opting to care for older children.

"Not only do we need quality affordable child care, we need quality people to man these spaces and to have the education and there's where the word quality comes in. Early childhood educators are just that - we're educators. We're not just babysitters like everybody thinks we are. We're educators first, as well as care givers.

"Right now we pay our substitutes $13 per hour and it's hard to get people to come work for that."

Pay was one of the issues Germyn addressed when she spoke to the crowd in the Square.

"I'm a lifeguard at home and I've taught children for over 18 years. I make $19 an hour and I don't see any reason why early childhood educators shouldn't be making the same," she said.

With that a round of applause burst through the audience.

Duncan Coun. Jesse Winfrey noted spending money now makes good business sense for later.

For every dollar put into child care, seven dollars comes back, he said. "That doesn't mean in cash dollars but it does mean it's a child that prospers, that grows, that gets educated, does good work, contributes to society and doesn't become a burden on it. All those good things can happen. That's huge."