Childcare needs more money than in fund
Powell River Peak
10/18/2007
By: Jonathan Hutchings

Childcare service providers say a new $20 million childcare fund may be just a drop in the bucket.

Last week the provincial government announced the Child Care Enhancement Fund (CCEF), a one-time only injection into childcare. The BC Council for Families (BCCF) will administer the funding in two stages: $10 million in February 2008 and $10 million in February 2009. Service providers who receive financial support through the Child Care Operating Funding program (CCOF) will be eligible.

"This money will give them the ability to do some more things," said BCCF executive director Carol Matusicky.

Childcare services will be able to use the money for new materials, equipment or professional development for staff.

The CCEF was created in response to changes in federal funding, Matusicky said.

In 2006, the Conservative Party cancelled the federal…

The $20 million came from childcare funds transferred to the province by the federal Liberals. Not all the money could be spent in the last fiscal year so the provincial government asked the BCCF to be stewards of the funds. Without this protection, the money would have to go back into general revenue, Matusicky said.

"We have made the commitment that not one penny of that $20 million will go to any of our programs," she said. "That $20 million is earmarked for childcare."

Robin Mitchell, owner and operator of Kids Come First Out Of School Care, welcomes any funding increase, but is skeptical it will make much difference. She has difficulty covering the basics.

The government is supposed to pay enrolment subsidies for lower income families, but Mitchell is still waiting for some. "The challenge here is to get the provincial government to honour their obligations through the childcare subsidy program," Mitchell said. "I carry eight to 10 families any given month trying to get payment from the government."

She is waiting for the details, hoping the money will actually make a difference. Mitchell said it may buy some materials but will not be a large infusion of cash.

"We need more centres," she said. "We need another daycare centre for five- to 12-year-olds. Is there going to be enough to open a centre next door so I can expand? I doubt it."

Wendy Barker, administrator for the Powell River Child, Youth and Family Services Society, echoed Mitchell's sentiments. The society administered the Early Years Learning Centre, but was not able to continue independently due to lack of funding. It partnered with the school district in order to keep it running.

The society is supported through the provincial government's subsidy program and CCOF. "The amounts are not sufficient to sustain a fully staffed, all-encompassing childcare program. Last year we tried to run longer hours so that we could appeal to more people in the community," Barker said.

Fluctuating funding made it difficult to operate, she added. "The one-time funding is not conducive to long-term planning. You don't know whether you are going to be sustainable," she said.

The current funding system is also flawed because parents do not have the option to pay hourly. It is a flat rate, Mitchell said.

Staffing is also an issue. "It's getting harder and harder to find people who are qualified, licensed early childhood education providers because their remuneration just isn't sufficient to keep them going a lot of the time," Barker said.

Matusicky acknowledged the challenges in childcare, such as wages, but hoped the fund would at least help in the short term. "Hopefully it will relieve some of the pressure on their operating fund," she said. "It will help them maybe plan a little bit better, knowing that there is at least two years of some dollars coming for enhancements."

The BCCF will compile a list of eligible organizations in January.