Pembina Valley Childcare Centre (PVCC) families received a note recently, sharing news that will affect 40 school age children in care at Morden Daycare, starting next school year.
PVCC Executive Director Shuana Richards explained.
"Our board, about a month ago, had to make a very difficult decision to lower our age in our Morden site to grade one, due essentially to a bottleneck effect which was occurring with children aging into the school age program. We had already experienced it before our Hive site was built (located at 580 1st Street, Morden), but when the Hive site came, that meant there were more kindergarten children going into Grade 1 and up, that would be coming from that location."
She described where the problem occurs.
"Because we only can accommodate 45 in our kindergarten/older school age space, and this summer already we had 90 children looking for care in that space. That was already a difficult time. Then, moving forward, it will be the same component. We're going to have potentially 20 preschool children moving into the kinder space from Morden, Hive will also have that same number, the RTM (referring to the Provincial/Federal ready-to-move daycare project initiative) that is coming will also have that same number, Discovery Trails when they open, even if they're not part of us, they're going to potentially have that problem as well."
As a result, a decision had to be made, due to the limited number of spaces for school age children, not funded by the government.
"It just turns into a bottleneck. Our program is licensed for 112 children, but only 38 can be school age. With everybody aging into that program, every single year it grows and grows. I understand the community, and our family's frustration, it mostly comes down to space availability. It was a very difficult decision for our board, and our team, to come up with."
Richards added, as a non-profit, the organization is regulated and funded by the government.
"The federal money that's going to the province is earmarked for five and under, so that's why those children qualify for the $10 a day care and school age does not qualify. So, their rates did not change. That has nothing to do with me, that is all provincial. The provincial government sets all of that. There has been some funding we have received for them when it comes to equipment and supplies, but not in regard to parent fees. In order for a centre to stay viable, you have to have an operating grant, and so it's okay to lose money, but you have to have money to lose money. It just comes down to dollars and cents. If you can't do payroll, you're not going to have staff, because you don't have the funding."
She noted the much-anticipated Discovery Trails School daycare, regardless of who operates the centre, will be in the same situation. The number of preschool spaces simply cannot be sustained without opening more school age spots.
She expressed her extreme regret for the decision that had to be made.
"I don't know what the solution is. This has been a very heavy time for us making that decision, knowing we affected so many families, and I get it, because what are our families going to do? I don't know what the solution is. It is very difficult for everyone, and I understand."
Richards welcomes anyone with ideas that fall within the government guidelines to have conversations with her, or PVCC board members. They are willing to work with the community to come up with a solution.
Richards has worked with children in Morden for many years and her heart goes out to the community at this time.
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