Use us or lose us, say Sparwood childcare centres
The Free Press
October 30, 2009
By Rebecca Edwards

Not-for-profit childcare providers are warning two licensed centres in Sparwood could close if attendance rates don’t improve.

Sparwood Children’s Centre for infant toddlers is temporarily closed and Kid Zone before and after school care centre is at risk of closure because not enough kids are attending.

Kid Zone manager Serina Paul and Sparwood Children’s Centre president Jackie Carpenter are asking parents to tell them how they can attract business back again.

“I only hear the positive feedback,” said Paul. “But we now only have five children a day – previously we had 19 after school and up to 25 in a day.

“I would rather have people tell me if there is anything wrong with how we are doing things so that we can fix it, instead of just having to close without understanding why.

Sparwood Children’s Centre, which opened as a not-for-profit society in 1976, closed temporarily in September after seeing numbers at three children per day – well below the minimum of eight per day they needed to stay afloat. The society directors hope to reopen in January.

“We are at the point now where we need people to sign their kids up again, or we will fold the society and close,” said Carpenter.

“What we don’t understand is that a survey of childcare in Sparwood last year showed that people want licensed care and flexible before and after school care – but we aren’t seeing that interest.”

Asked if they have any theories about why numbers have dropped, both women say they think the slow economy is prompting parents to choose informal daycare options that cost less.

“There are more people caring for children in their homes now,” said Carpenter….

 “People come in and are very enthusiastic about their kids attending after school but when they hear the rates we never hear from them again. At Kid Zone we only charge $4 an hour up to a maximum of $35 per day and there are subsidies available. It really isn’t much.”