Downtown Eastside Child Care Crisis
from First Call Weekly Announcements

The Phil Bouvier Centre at 717 Princess Street in the Strathcona neighbourhood of Vancouver provides child care for 49 children, 34 of whom have been diagnosed as having special needs. The Ministry of Children and Family Development had recognized that a higher child-staff ratio was required to provide a safe environment for these children, and provided an enrichment contract for 3 extra staff and a family support worker.

Funding for enrichment child-staff ratio was withdrawn June 30, 2009. Ray-Cam Community Cooperative Centre Association is able to maintain these 3 workers on staff until the end of July. At that point, many of the children who require extra supports will be asked to leave the Centre. They will likely ‘age out’ on waiting lists, as do so many of the inner-city’s children. At this point, there are 300 children in the inner-city who are on the waitlist for Ray-Cam and Phil Bouvier Child Care Centres….