Parents distruaght over child care closure

By Austin Grabish, The Selkirk Record

 

Parents are rallying to save a before and after-school program in Clandeboye after the YMCA announced it was pulling the plug on the program last month.

The child-care centre at the William S. Patterson School will shut its doors for good on June 26 this year, and the closure has left at least one parent scrambling looking for child care options.

“Next year I’m not sure what I’m going to do. If this program wasn’t here then I don’t know that we would have stayed in the area,” said Clandeboye resident Sasha Carter, who has a seven-year-old boy, who’s been in the before and after-school program for three years.

As many as 15 families are rallying together to save the daycare, but the YMCA said it will close indefinitely.

Caryn LaFleche, general manager of youth and childcare for the YMCA, said the Clandeboye program isn’t financially viable anymore.

She said although parents pay a fee to send their kids to the program there are only five children currently enrolled, and two of those kids are only in the daycare on a part-time basis.

“And next year is not looking much better than that,” said LaFleche.

But parents who spoke to the Record say enrollment numbers would increase if the program would allow kindergarten students to enroll.

Youngsters were allowed in the program the past few years, but YMCA rules changed that last year.

LaFleche said the school simply doesn’t fit the provincial criteria required to house kindergarten students.

The before and after-school program is currently not licensed and LaFleche said if students were to be admitted to the program the daycare would then have to be licensed with the province.

“Kindergarten children are considered preschool children so to have preschool children in a program you have to have physical space that actually has specific equipment and unfortunately that’s not available in the school,” LaFleche said.

But William S. Patterson is a K – six elementary school and parents say kindergarten students should be able to attend.

“There is no other licensed daycare or childcare options for us in Clandeboye,” said Meeka Kiersgaard.

Kiersgaard’s daughter is in kindergarten and wasn’t able to enroll in the program this year, but Kiersgaard would like to have her daughter in it next year.

She said the program’s closure will leave parents like herself in limbo.

“It might mean parents moving to the city or more drastic measures just because we don’t have a before and after-school program,” Kiersgaard said.

Kiersgaard and Eric Benson are calling on the province to step in and do something.

Benson said the province has repeatedly promised to work with parents like himself to make child care options available, yet the Clandeboye daycare will close.

“It’s time that Mr. Bjornson put his money where his mouth is and support this,” said Benson.

A provincial spokesman said the province is aware of the closure and will work with parents to find a solution.

“We will continue to help them explore options. If the parent group wants to pursue establishing a licensed child care facility, that is something Family Services staff can assist them with,” said the spokesman in an email.

And that’s exactly what the Interlake Co-op Nursery School may do. The group is considering taking over the program, said Cheryl Longley, the director of the school.

But for now the parents say they will continue to rally.

“As more people become aware our group is sort of growing because we’re concerned about setting the precedent of letting the program leave,” Kiersgaard said. 

-- First published in the Selkirk Record print edition February 5, 2015 p.10