Regina daycare closure leaves parents scrambling for child care
Parents who depend on a Regina daycare say they've been left scrambling to find new child care spots with little notice.
Saplings Early Learning Child Care Centre is operated by Eden Care Communitites, a non-profit organization.
The northeast Regina licensed daycare in will be closing its doors effective June 29, leaving the parents of 51 children without care.
Anurag Attri is one of them.
“It's funny because they sent us a message on May 10, that they have made the decision that their intention is to move and focus towards safe and affordable community-based housing for seniors, families and people living with disabilities so they decided to close the daycare, just giving us little over a months notice to find new daycares,” Attri said.
“Which is surprising because they [shared the news] on early Childhood Educator Day with all the teachers as well. So they didn't know what was happening until that day.”
Ashley Elgert, the early childhood director at the centre run by Eden Care Communities, told CTV News that the closure has had an effect on everyone involved.
“Child care is really hard to find in Regina right now and it's upsetting for families to leave somewhere that their child has built relationships. So a closure can be very scary,” she said.
According to Elgert, 40 per cent of the families who used Sapling’s services have found alternative child care in the timeframe that they needed it.
The same can’t be said for Attri and his two-year-old child.
“I know some parents are more flexible with their work schedule and with arrangements and everything but most of them are not. [We] are not,” he said.
“They did mention in the letter as well, if the teachers are gone or if the student-teacher ratio declines, [the centre] could close early as well. So it's really uncertain. If you don't find the daycare, then what are you going to do?”
According to Elgert, members of the staff are free to interview for positions at other centres — meaning staffing levels could soon drop.
Some workers, however, are deciding whether or not to stay in the child care field following the closure.
“A lot of staff are still deciding what they want to do moving forward,” she said. “Those who are choosing to stay in the field of child care are able to interview at other centers and get positions there.”
For Attri, as well as many other parents, cost is a major factor going forward, with subsidized licensed child care spaces like the ones at Sapling, extremely hard to come by, especially at such short notice.
“We were paying $200 at this daycare, for our child’s space. Anywhere we’re looking at not subsidized we're looking anywhere around $550 to $650 a month. So that's like a $300 or $400 jump into our monthly expenditure,” he said.
“With that being said that I've called multiple centres … and they have like one-year, two-year wait times. Shortage of daycares is a problem in Saskatchewan and then just closing one on top of that.”
Elgert explained that the shortage is multi-faceted.
“Some parents have had trouble finding child care options. Child care in Regina as a whole is very scarce, especially child care that is currently funded by the Ministry of Education to receive the $10 a day child care,” she said.
“I know the Ministry of Education is working hard to put a plan in place to meet the current demands of child care spaces in the province. But unfortunately, there's also a shortage of early childhood educators, which also impacts the amount of spaces we can have in the province.”
As for Attri, he wants to see some accountability, arguing that providers should not be able to put parents in this sort of position without more warning.
“It's not just with this daycare, I think it should be more coming from the Ministry of Education or even something like more regulated decisions,” he said.
“If they are closing, they have to have ample time for parents to adjust to that. In Saskatchewan daycare is scarce."
In response to inquiries from CTV News, the Ministry of Education said it "understands the challenges" the closure creates.
"We are working to support parents in finding other child care options," the ministry said in a statement.
According to the ministry, 523 centre spaces have been announced for the city of Regina and are in “various stages of development.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Police arrest 3 Indian nationals in killing of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar
Three people have been arrested and charged in the killing of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar – as authorities continue investigating potential connections to the Indian government.
Five areas Canada's foreign interference commissioner says needs more investigation
Commissioner Marie-Josee Hogue released her interim report examining foreign election interference on Friday. Here are five elements of the issue that Hogue says she needs to further probe before she can make conclusions or recommendations.
Police officer hit by driver of fleeing vehicle in Toronto
York Regional Police say they are continuing to search for a suspect in an auto theft investigation who was captured on video running over a police officer in Toronto last month.
TD worst-case scenario more likely after drug money laundering allegations: analyst
TD Bank Group could be hit with more severe penalties than previously expected, says a banking analyst after a report that the investigation it faces in the U.S. is tied to laundering illicit fentanyl profits.
Human remains found in rural Sask. possibly a decade old, RCMP say
RCMP say human remains found in a rural area in central Saskatchewan may have been there for a decade or more.
New weight-loss drug Wegovy not a 'magic bullet,' doctor warns
As Wegovy becomes available to Canadians starting Monday, a medical expert is cautioning patients wanting to use the drug to lose weight that no medication is a ''magic bullet,' and the new medication is meant particularly for people who meet certain criteria related to obesity and weight.
Drew Carey is never quitting 'The Price Is Right'
Drew Carey took over as host of 'The Price Is Right' and hopes he’s there for life. 'I'm not going anywhere,' he told 'Entertainment Tonight' of the job he took over from longtime host Bob Barker in 2007.
Why your airfare may be getting more expensive
Skyrocketing airfare prices are linked to heightened competition and rising food and fuel, according to the CAA.
Manitoba man sentenced to house arrest for keeping fishing tournament funds meant for Children's Hospital Foundation
A Manitoba man who pleaded guilty to keeping the funds raised from an ice-fishing fundraiser for the Children's Hospital Foundation of Manitoba has been handed a sentence of 18 months house arrest.