Back to school: Red alert on child care services

Many School Service Centers (CSS) still have to deal with a shortage of support staff a day before the start of the school year. A good portion of day care services are still unfilled.

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“Back to school is tomorrow, children have not yet set foot in school and the situation is still difficult,” laments Annie Charland, head of the school sector of the Federation of Public Service Employees (FEESP-CSN).

Echoes reaching Quebec’s largest union group of school support staff report major recruitment problems everywhere.

In Montreal, there are still 230 positions to be filled, or 10% of these types of jobs in the school service center. The situation is even more complicated at the Mille-Îles School Service Center in the Laurentians, where less than 50% of educators have yet to be traced.

Different CSSs in Outaouais, Bas-Saint-Laurent, Montérégie, Estrie and Mauricie are also in the same boat. They should find 20 to 26% of their team members.

“We also have worrying statistics regarding resignations in some service centres, Mr.^me Charland. In the past year, there have been 400 resignations at the Montreal service center, while more than 175 resignations were at the Mill-Isles center, nearly 10% of the workforce.

A strict decision on Inventors’ CSS

Faced with a shortage of staff for its daycare services, the Center de Services Scolaires des Decouvriers has decided to limit access to some of its schools.

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“If this situation occurs, all new registrations will be suspended for the concerned schools. Also, students in 6th^e “Anyone who lives within walking distance will be invited back home for dinner,” warns Director General Christian Plave in a communication to parents of students.

At the Découvertes school service center 10% of support staff resigned in the past year, underscoring the problem.

More details to follow.