‘Scary’: Parents reeling as child-care in Manitoba remains inaccessible

Summer is fast approaching, which means school will soon be out and many parents push to look for daycare, all too often with no reprieve. It’s a very frustrating as a parent. Sidney Lucia, a mom and early childhood educator, noticed a shift in daycare access when the Manitoba government announced $10 a day programming. The call volumes and the emails in my at my center in particular, doubled wait lists. Went over 708 hundred names on them. Experiencing the difficulty of long and lengthening weightless at home, unable to enroll her kids at the daycare she works at or the one right in her back alley. Other parents, like Katie Ellis, know that feeling too. At one facility, her son is number 195 on a wait list of 1500. I might have to end up quitting my job and staying home with my son because I’ve been looking and looking for for daycare spots and nothing. Allison Lucier are two of a dozen or more parents that have reached out to Global News, bewildered by years, long wait list and dwindling options. Summer camps could be a viable alternative for those that can afford them, but Jenny Stucer with the West Portage Why says that window to register is closing quickly. This is definitely an unprecedented year, Stoops are saying. Registration for summer camps at the Y opened early this year to meet increasing demand, but already 2200 spaces have been filled, leaving 500 which are expected to fill quickly. We do see it as a challenge as childcare centers may not be open to be responsive to that need. The Manitoba Child Care Association says well access to affordable childcare is moving in the right direction. There’s a ways to go, starting with staffing. We have a shortage. We anticipate probably about 800 within the current sector. The province has set a goal to create 23,000 new childcare spaces by 2026 and hopes a new contract with the federal government to boost early childhood educator wages can ensure proper staffing for parents like Ellis. More options for childcare can’t come soon enough. I’ve always known that I was going to be a working mom, and now I’m not. I might not be able to be that. Daisy Welk Global News.