Childcare situation in Cranbrook is dire
The Daily Townsman (Cranbrook)
July 24, 2008 
By: Gerry Warner

Working families looking for childcare support in the East Kootenay are facing a grim situation, says the co-ordinator of East Kootenay Child Care Resource and Referral.

"The situation is dire," says Kim Levie, who recently completed a two-page waitlist report outlining what families looking for child care can expect to face these days.

Waiting times can be a year or longer and some facilities have as many as 70 families on their waitlist, according to a phone survey taken two weeks ago. Waitlists are longest for infant and toddler care to age two, but they are also long for three to five-year-olds in group care and for after school care.

The situation is worst in Cranbrook and not as bad in smaller East Kootenay communities, but it isn't good anywhere, Levie says. "On average, we get four to six people calling-a-day and they're all looking for child care but they can't find it."

The situation is so bad that some facilities aren't even accepting names for their waitlists anymore and the situation is no better at most licensed family child care facilities, Levie says.

Two income families are now the norm because in today's society it takes two income earners to properly support a family. "But there's not many jobs these days where you can quit work at three to go home and look after the kids," she says.

We're no longer living in the 1950's era of Father Knows Best when dads went off to work each morning and mom stayed home with the kids. Nor should we expect to live in that kind of a society, Levie says.

Some mothers stay home with their kids today and there's nothing wrong with that. But in today's society, it's not realistic for all mothers to stay home as most did in the 50's, she says…

"I do strongly believe this is a societal issue and that all parents should have the right to work. I also think it's government's responsibility to support families in this situation because it's not just supporting the families themselves. It's supporting the whole system."

Another component of the problem is finding people to work in child care facilities. The minimum requirement is grade 12 graduation and a one-year certificate or diploma program in early childhood education. And once a person has acquired this amount of training, they can't expect to make much more than $10-an-hour …."It's disheartening because they don't get a living wage, especially when they see what teachers' assistants get which can be twice as much as what they make," Levi says.

More advocacy to government on child care issues is needed if the situation is going to improve, she says. "Families need to be supported and I don't think they are now."….