Government funding blamed for daycare closures: Future of Spring Creek daycare still to be discussed
Pique Newsmagazine
June 9, 2010
By Andrew Mitchell

Last week the Whistler Children's Centre Society announced that the Spring Creek daycare would not be reopening after closing its doors in late 2008 as a result of a qualified teacher shortage and issues with the size of the classrooms. Now the WCSS is in discussions with the Resort Municipality of Whistler, which owns the property and building, and with donors at the Whistler Blackcomb Foundation on the future of the facility.

At the time of the closure the WCCS suggested that the issues affecting the daycare are province-wide and that it was only a matter of time before other daycares and programs started to close in the corridor.

Sure enough, Sea to Sky Community Services (SSCS) recently announced a round of daycare cuts, including the Little Deers preschool program in Pemberton which will wrap up at the end of August; and the infant-toddler programs at the SSCS Early Learning and Childcare Development Centre at the end of June. The SSCS Bear Cubs program will close at the end of August.

"SSCS has been working diligently over the past few years to ensure the ongoing sustainability of our child-care services," said Suzie Soman, director of early child development services. "These services depend, for the most part, on child-care fees with little additional outside funding. Fees consequently have continuously been on the rise to try to maintain service as delivery costs increase such as wages, pensions and benefits. However, we find ourselves at this time in the difficult situation of no longer being able to sustain the same level of service.".…

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