(Supplied)

By Josh Hall | @Vancan19

inflexible and unsustainable: aace

Red Deer childcare centre supports rolling closures to put pressure on provincial government

Jan 30, 2024 | 2:21 PM

Red Deer’s Creekside Creative Academy held an emergency meeting with parents Monday night to discuss rolling closures of childcare centres happening Tuesday across the province.

The closures are part of the Association of Alberta Childcare Entrepreneurs’ (AACE) efforts to let the Government of Alberta know it needs to do something about a crisis of insufficient funding and restrictive policies on such facilities. It says several dozens of centres are taking part in the closures.

Ray Lewchuk, owner of Creekside, says his location has opted to stay open for the time being, but expressed his solidarity.

“Our meeting went extremely well. Parents asked lots of questions and were surprised by the situation that daycares find themselves in. We have 150 letters signed by parents that will be sent to the premier, the minister and our local MLAs,” says Lewchuk.

“Our issues are twofold. Starting in April 2025, there will be a complete change in the way the entire sector is funded. The immediate needs are financial, whereas in 2024, it’ll cost us $75,000 to administer the program.”

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Long-term, says Lewchuk, high costs mean an inability to provide enhanced services — including but not limited to providing a teacher who speaks French — on top of core services.

“That money comes straight out of my pocket, and that means we can’t do some things that we’d like to do for the kids to provide a better, more enhanced care. It restricts because there’s only so much money to operate with,” he says.

“The province signed its agreement and we have to live with it. The only way out of this situation is for the province to renegotiate with the federal government.”

The current agreement expires in 2026.

Minister of Children and Family Services, Searle Turton, in a statement provided to rdnewsNOW, says childcare operators have his full support and that he will be meeting with federal reps.

“I recognize the difficult situation [operators] are in. Record inflation thanks to out of control spending by the federal government has significantly increased operating costs, and the current cost control framework established by the federal government does not recognize this,” the minister says.

“The Premier will be requesting a meeting with the federal minister to discuss this further and to urge the federal government to consider changes to the framework that would support operators facing inflationary pressures.”

Turton says affordability is a major concern for all Albertans, and that the government’s priority must be ensuring an affordable and sustainable childcare system for operators and families.

Creekside Creative Academy. (Supplied)

In Lewchuk’s opinion, the easiest way to rectify what’s happening is to fund parents directly through benefits.

“If the parents get that funding directly, we wouldn’t have to wait for our payments, or have the high costs of administering the program, and then parents could choose what kind of care is best for their family,” he explains, noting that Quebec has a newer system that could provide a model for Alberta.

Lewchuk says because of the way the new Affordability Grant is set up, they’re waiting from five to six weeks to receive reimbursement.

Though he’s fortunate enough, financially, to be able to get by, many childcare centres don’t have the same access to operating lines of credit or other means, and cannot handle such a delay.

Creekside has about 150 kids in its childcare program right now.

Diana Batten, Alberta NDP Critic for Childcare and Children & Family Services, says the UCP has been told for years, by childcare operators, parents, and advocates, that their formula is broken.

“For the last two years, daycare operators have been shouldering the weight of the UCP’s poor decisions. The federal program is a cost-sharing agreement and the UCP has failed to invest anything new to support our economy and these business owners,” says Batten.

“It shouldn’t have to come to this. Childcare providers shouldn’t have to shut their doors, leaving families without options, just to get the government’s attention. We stand with childcare operators and believe that all families deserve access to quality, affordable childcare.”

In a statement issued Monday night, the AACE calls the current system inflexible, adding that it places an unsustainable strain on the childcare industry’s ability to serve families effectively.

“The thought of disrupting families and communities is the last thing childcare centre operators want,” says Krystan Churcher, chair. “However, we find ourselves in a position where we must take decisive action to bring these critical issues to the forefront. It’s about safeguarding the future of our children and ensuring a childcare system that genuinely reflects the needs of our families.”

Churcher says the closures symbolize a stand against policies which create divides among children that potentially harm their social and emotional development.

More about the rolling closures is at atwhatcost.info/resources.

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