Child care spaces: Barriers for parents

Juliet Alam is a mother to a two-and-a-half-year-old son. She’s one of many parents lamenting the lack of child care spaces in Toronto and has compiled a list of child care services in her area.

My son has been on the waiting list for two and a half years.She explains. We have a lot of difficulty understanding how daycares follow up with families on the waiting list at this time.

If a child is already in daycare, the sibling has priority over other childrenMs Alam continues, she condemns such regulation.

Desperate families

If it’s hard for one child, imagine the situation when there are two children, warns Audrey DeBruyn, a mother of twins who has been stressed by the lack of childcare space.

I have two children, one on one side of town and the other on the other side out of the question.Her efforts are futile, she exasperated. They are siblings, so it is important to us that they are together.

“Many women find themselves in a situation where childcare is not available,” says Audrey DeBruyn.

Photo: Audrey DeBruyn

” The baby is not born and you should already be thinking about putting your baby on a list. Again, that’s not a guarantee. You should call daycare centers regularly to remind them of your presence. »

For her part, Claire Desholm has three young children. She found a spot at a childcare center for her two-and-a-half-year-old son, but she points out that the trip averages 40 minutes round trip.

The young mother wonders if two seats are available for three-month-old babies. She fears that she will not be able to return to work on the scheduled date.

Claire Desholm hopes to find daycare spots for her twins.

Photo: Claire Derelle

Ms Deshome’s search fills most of her days. It’s hard to plan my return to work because I don’t know if I’ll have a place in September.she says. It prevents everything I plan to work on again.

The same admission on the part of Mrs. DeBruyn, who had to take drastic measures.

We return to a young French couple. We have no choicesays the mother, who lives in the Thunder Bay area and was hoping to return to work after a year off.

Now her twins are 17 months old and she hopes the pair will get visas soon so she can come and help her.

What the numbers reveal

The situation of these three women resonates CCAC.

The report examines the availability of child care spaces by ZIP code across the country and finds that child care deserts are widespread.Senior economist David McDonald explains CCAC and co-author of the report.

Child care deserts are areas where there is a shortage of space relative to the number of children living thereMr. McDonald explains. In these regions, there are more than three young children per full-time place available in a regulated childcare centre.

David McDonald is a senior economist at the Canadian Center for Alternative Policy and co-author of the Child Care Places report.

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Photo: David McDonald

This phenomenon is more common in small towns and sparsely populated rural areas than in large cities.Economist says.

In large Ontario cities with populations greater than 100,000, the odds of child care leavers are lowest.He continues.

The proportion of children living in childcare deserts in Ontario is slightly better at 44%, compared to the national average of 48%, according to study results.

” In Quebec, only 16% of children living in rural areas live in a desert without full-time day care places. In Ontario it is 82%. »

As a possible solution, Mr. MacDonald recommends not only more well-paid educators but also more child care centers in small towns to attract qualified workers. To reduce geographical inequality.

We don’t put government schools where the school is too big for the principal. We put children where they belong. Unfortunately, we don’t do that for childcareHe is sorry.

Demand for childcare places has increased since fees were cut last December, according to MacDonald, a situation that needs to be taken seriously.

For its part, Education Minister Stephen Less’s office reiterated its commitment Stand up for Ontario families, ensure they have access to the places they need, and create 86,000 places by the end of 2026.

We have already reduced fees by 50% to approximately $10,000 per child. We make a differenceMinistry ends.