THE EDITOR:

Re: 'No room at the inn,' Dec. 7 Times.

Your article and editorial about Brenda Methorst really struck home with me. I have been a single mother for six months and I am also struggling because of a lack of child care options.

Six months ago, when my partner and I split up, I knew that I would have to find full-time work in order to support my daughter alone. I had no problem at all finding work, as a matter of fact, I saw two employers who wanted me to start within the week. But when I attempted to find daycare, my hope began to fade.

The CCRR program was so overwhelmingly busy and underfunded, that all they were able to do for me was provide me with a list of all childcare facilities in Abbotsford. So I hit the phones and, like Brenda Methorst, found very little in the way of child care for my nine-month-old daughter.

Fortunately for me, I have a very supportive family, and my parents offered to take care of my daughter while I work nights at a restaurant. But even with their help, I am barely able to keep up with my expenses, let alone enjoy my daughter's first real Christmas. It's true that we are in a state of crisis, but the truth of the matter is that we have been for some time now, and the government is well aware of this.

We can't afford to sit back and wait for the government to do something. It is clear that the daycare shortage is nowhere near the top of our government's priority list. We need to do something ourselves….