Child care cash ‘definitely not enough’
Trail-Rossland News
June 24, 2008
By Willa Condy

The recent announcement of $88,500 to add 10 more spaces to Golden Bear Children Centre in Rossland and $80,000 to open 20 new child-care spaces at the Blueberry Creek Community School Council is a drop in the bucket to what is needed for childcare in the Trail – Castlegar area, according to Sue McIntosh with Trail and Castlegar Child Care Resource and Referral Program.

“It’s awesome that they increased spaces but it is not enough. Definitely not enough. We are such in a critical shortage of childcare spaces and it is just not enough.

“Sunshine Children Centre in Trail has more than a hundred families on a wait list. ….On an average week. the program is getting 10 to 15 calls from families looking for day care.

McIntosh was talking to one pregnant mother to be and she was already putting her name on the waiting list for day care. The mother will have a year’s maternity leave after the baby is born before needing day care.

Complicating the issue is the lack of trained Early Childhood Educators to work at the centre. Burn out and low pay impacts how many educators will stay in the field.

Rossland council decided Monday night the Golden Bear Children’s Centre, with a current outstanding tax debt of $6,075, will receive financial relief in the form of a grant from the City of Rossland pending further study into the issue.

Councillor Lloyd McLellan brought forth the motion to offer the children’s centre a onetime emergency grant to cover their tax debt, with the centre responsible for its taxes in years going forward such that it doesn’t contravene with the community charter….

 “This is a very critical service to our community, they are already going to expand the number of jobs there from 5 to 9 jobs. It may look like a private business, but they are a non profit society, they have a non profit number...Obviously we need that facility so families can live here, they can go to work, kids can go to schools, it’s all connected obviously. For sure we need to make the grant this year, otherwise they’re going to shut down,” said Councillor Jill Spearn….