LOCAL NEWSAnswers May Be in Store for Daycare Crisis

On April 7, Growing Minds Child Care (GMCC) held an informational meeting at the Heritage Centre to relay a sombre message. Come September, GMCC may not be able to offer school-age care for up to 14 of 17 children enrolled in its program who are entering Grade One. The reason? Not enough space.

This is not the first time GMCC has faced this issue. In the past, two satellite locations were opened on Main Street specifically for school-age care. Though it’s not ideal for the daycare facility to spread itself across town, it has been a short-term solution to a long-term issue, and it’s worked.

“We don’t like to put Band-Aids on things,” says Jason Moran, GMCC board and strategic planning committee member. “We are looking for a longer term fix.”

The difference, until recently, was the lack of  further space to expand into—that is, space equipped or affordably priced to meet the unique requirements of a licensed childcare facility.

One problem is that a school-age program only requires space for partial days during the school year—7:00 to 9:00 a.m. and 3:00 to 6:00 p.m.—with the exception of full days on statutory and school holidays. GMCC must still pay for a full day’s use even though they only charge parents for part of the day.

The facility must be in close proximity to the schools so children can walk back and forth. According to government standards, it requires an outside play area, washrooms, and plenty of natural light. School-age care cannot be connected to pre-Kindergarten space.

Staffing requirements also pose a problem. After-school staff must be qualified Early Childhood Environment (ECE) 2 or 3 and maintain a ratio of one staff per 15 children. They are required to work part-time in split shifts, which makes recruiting difficult.

GMCC reached out to town council, elected officials, the Heritage Centre, the Hanover School Division (HSD), and private enterprises for help.

GMCC staff and their board of directors have been working to address the problem of space for some time. The April 7 meeting came about once the results of their outreach and hard work began to look grim. This is the first time GMCC has ever had to consider ending care for children already enrolled in their program.

“We need more space, more staff, and more money,” says a member of the GMCC staff. Because registered daycares are not-for-profit organizations, they don’t have capital project funding.

The current 14-space shortage is only the tip of the iceberg. With more children aging into the school-age program than out, an additional 120 spots are required in the next five years to accommodate the families already enrolled.

Morris MLA Shannon Martin, Mayor Myron Dyck, John Falk, Steve Neufeld of the Heritage Centre, and a number of church leaders attended the meeting. Their participation revealed a number of options, but no short-term solutions.

According to Mayor Dyck, council would consider incorporating a daycare facility into the proposed multiplex—but that is still three to five years away. In the spring of 2017, an additional 5,000 square feet has been designated for GMCC in the Heritage Centre, but it will only be available once the medical facility moves into the new life lease building. This could accommodate 45 to 57 extra children.

Over the last several months, GMCC board members have engaged with the ownership group at 295 Main Street (the old Puratone building) to explore options and opportunities.

“We have had dialogue over the past four months,” says Ray Dowse, co-owner of the building. “Our discussions have identified some options, and we feel there is reason for optimism.”

Churches have been receptive to GMCC’s inquiries for space. Here, too, there are significant hurdles, such as daycare storage needs as well as the churches’ own weekday programming and funerals. HSD has been approached for daycare space in the schools, but given the number of huts being introduced to accommodate students, this does not appear favourable.

“I moved to town four years ago and have grown to love this community,” says resident Helen Peters. “We have two children, both [of whom] have been in Growing Minds daycare since they were six months old. I will be heartbroken if I have to leave this town because there is no school-age care available for my children.”

Similar sentiments were shared by other parents in attendance at the meeting, suggesting that the lack of daycare options may see many young families uproot and move to communities or cities where daycare is more available.

Since the April 7 meeting, the GMCC board of directors have been pleased to see options come to the forefront.

“Since the parent meeting… the Growing Minds board of directors has received a great deal of support from parents, community, and business partners alike,” says board member Jennifer Duff. “We are currently exploring space options that could potentially be in place by September and expect to receive required information by the end of April so we can assess the options against licensing, operational requirements, and financial viability. We are very thankful to the community. They have rallied behind us very quickly and reached out in many ways to address this issue as their own.”