Monumental growth in Niverville over the last 20 years has added to the texture and vibrancy of our community. One need only look to the newest residential developments to recognize that Niverville has been a magnet for young families.
The increase in young families brings with it unique needs, such as quality daycare programs for working parents. Currently, Niverville is home to only 1 licensed daycare facility, Growing Minds. Though the facility is licensed for 127 child spaces, it falls substantially short in meeting the community’s needs.
“We are finding access a challenge,” states a local father. “[We have] been on the Growing Minds waiting list since we moved here in 2013.” With one child in daycare in Winnipeg, another in Grade 1 in Niverville, and an infant who requires daycare next summer, he faces a juggle familiar to a lot of families. “So do we move back to Winnipeg, or stay and have all our kids go to school in Winnipeg? But then they lose touch with kids in our neighbourhood.”
His family is not alone. Other families have been waiting for more than 2 years on the waiting list, with no hope in sight.
“My only option was a home daycare,” says a Niverville mother of an 18-month-old son who’s been on the waiting list since before he was born. “Right now, [home daycare] is costing us $600 to $900 per month. To be honest, we have put having more of a family on hold due to lack of daycare openings and affordable options.”
There is no easy way to tally the number of unlicensed home daycares in town. Unlike licensed centres, they are not required to register with the government. Licensed care workers and some parents caution against using unlicensed centres, citing unsafe conditions, the undisclosed history of the provider, exposure to strangers who come and go from the home, and a lack of government subsidies. Unlicensed centres have no wage restrictions, at times charging in the range of $40 to $60 per day per child, taking full advantage of desperate parents.
The government applies strict regulations to licensed facilities, including educational mandates, safety protocols that may require home renovations, and menus that follow Canada’s Food Guide. In return, they receive government support, affording better rates for parents.
“Being responsible to the children’s parents is a pretty high order that I take very seriously,” says an unlicensed daycare provider for the past 11 years in Niverville. “These are their children, their future. From the time [these children] are 1 until 5, they have me and I have them. It’s a construct that mimics family, and we become each other’s family for 10 hours of the day.”
She agrees that unlicensed daycare isn’t for every parent, reminding them to do their homework and know what’s important to them. “[In my home], siblings get to grow up together, all ages learning to play [and interact] instead of being divided by age and stage, as would occur in organized daycare.”
Addressing the needs of parents with disabled children is a whole other ball of wax. While the government provides some support workers, a licensed daycare facility must apply for them. Equipped facilities are scattered across the province.
One local mother of 4 found such a daycare in Grunthal. “Since starting daycare 14 months ago, [my daughter] has gained the ability to sit independently and eat solid food. We continue to take her solely for the therapeutic benefits she receives.”
Getting her daughter to daycare in Grunthal means juggling 3 other children, one an infant, oftentimes by herself. This requires 2 hours of driving, 3 days a week. Now on maternity leave, she is concerned for next year when she’ll be back to her teaching career and her disabled daughter will be in Kindergarten in Niverville. Finding before and after care for her daughter will be nearly impossible as she is so far down the list for Growing Minds.
Rhonda Kenning, executive director of Growing Minds Childcare Center, echoes the frustrations of parents. “There is a huge lack of licensed daycare in this community.”
Part of the problem is a lack of usable space. Their own facility has been forced to operate in 3 separate locations, 1 at the Heritage Centre and 2 on Main Street. The government places very strict regulations on licensed daycare facilities, and many buildings may not be up to code without costly renovations.
Having already tapped into provincial grants and the Town of Niverville’s generosity for costs incurred on the existing facilities, Kenning feels that further capital grants for expansion may be beyond their reach.
“[The province] receives applications every time funding is made available and there are many communities vying for those dollars. Many smaller communities have come together to make their projects a reality through extensive fundraising campaigns and community generosity.”
Kenning adds that the new playground at the Heritage Centre was renovated solely on local charitable donations. She admits, though, that Growing Minds is not planning to expand further and that it is time for new childcare centres to move into town.
“You can’t offer 300 spaces and still provide quality care,” she says. “Our priority has to be meeting the needs of the children and families that are currently using our services.”
