Parents are tired, struggling, and fed up. 

We are in a crisis.

But,

This is a solvable problem.

1. PAY CHILDCARE WORKERS LIKE FAMILIES' INCOME DEPENDS ON THE CARE. Because it does. (Would love to see some politicians handle a room full of kindergarteners for a couple hours on their own and see how they feel about the pay they're handed at the end.)
2. Cover hiring bonuses for centres that are struggling to fill currently open roles.
3. Incentivize enrolment in childcare education. Ideas:
   • Subsidize their education.
   • Bursaries.
   • Cover their tuition if they work in the industry for 5 years following graduation.
   • Do what it takes.
4. Invest in childcare centres. Give them the funds needed to run these programs. Incentivize them to open up the spots and hire, aggressively.
5. Work with municipalities to identify service gaps, i.e. neighbourhoods and schools with higher number of families with young children and yet very few childcare options.

The school day length has not changed in decades and was designed at a time when families could survive and thrive with one parent at home while the other worked for a modest pay to support the entire family. Our economy and society have evolved - it is near impossible for one parent to work and support a family while another attends to the care of their children in the vast majority of households in our province, and in many households a single parent is expected to manage this entirely on their own. Many employers are not flexible with working hours and many employees work shifts or fixed hours. Furthermore, the pick up and drop of children is a burden that disproportionately falls on women, who, more often than not nowadays, are also working full-time. Many studies have shown that women carry much of the family management burden on top of their full-time paid employment.

The lack of before and after school care spots not only impacts women's ability to participate fully in the workforce but also perpetuates gender inequalities. The existing situation creates a significant barrier for women to pursue career opportunities and advancements, ultimately affecting their economic independence and is contributing to the gender pay gap. When women, and parents generally, are forced to choose between providing care for their children and pursuing their careers, it not only limits their potential but also hinders the overall economic growth and productivity of our society. 

How are families supposed to survive in a world where the school day starts at the same time or after the traditional work day, and ends well before the end of a traditional work day? For a long time before and after care programs filled this gap, but now childcare programs are struggling to find the staff to run these programs and have long waitlists of families desperate for a coveted spot. 

I would LOVE for politicians and decision makers to let me know whether they are able to leave their work in the middle of the afternoon to pick up their children and then not work for the rest of the day, especially at schools where the end of day bell time is as early as 2:40 pm. 

In our family our 6 year old in grade one at his French Immersion school is done at 2:40, which means my husband or I leave our work responsibilities at 2:30 pm. After picking him up it's over to our 4 year old's school where he attends junior kindergarten and their end of day is 3:05 pm. The kids are brought home while the parent on kid-duty attempts to continue working while they play, ask for snacks, and argue with each other about their toys or what show to watch. Our one year old daughter is also in infant care, which we are incredibly fortunate to have found. How did we manage it? I signed us up for waitlists the second I found out I was pregnant and when we were offered a spot we paid for it to be held for her for SIX WEEKS prior to needing it at the end of parental leave rather than risk not having a spot when we needed it. Thankfully she has care until a reasonable time of day, but we are anticipating for the day that they lose staff and have to send kids home to maintain ratios.

If one parent in our family were to reduce their hours in order to dedicate unpaid time to picking up our kids it would reduce our income by more than 25%, assuming the employer is willing to agree to such an arrangement. 

In some households this isn't even an option. Families are giving up shifts and additional paid work (e.g. not taking on work for another client, restricting availability to take appointments, etc.) in order to attend to the maddening logistics of pick-ups and drop-offs.  Single parents are faced with the stark reality of whether they can work at all without childcare/before and after school care.

Please stand with me in demanding that our government invest in families, in children, and childcare workers in order to provide the care that kids need and enjoy so that parents can juggle one thing in their busy, overfilled lives.

Thank you for your attention and consideration.

Sincerely,

Victoria Baranow