EXCERPTS
Many parents are still trying to find a sitter or a day camp for the kids says one provincial childcare advocate. Sharon Gregson with the Coalition for Childcare Advocates BC says the teachers' strike only worsens the current childcare crisis.
"For many families there's a childcare crisis 12 months a year, the current labour dispute highlights and exacerbates that situation so everyone with school aged children is dealing with the crisis," says Gregson.
She says with half a million children out of school and only enough licensed spots for one in five kids, there's a real problem. "We've got parents who typically on a normal month are scrambling for childcare not sure what they're going to do, fees are two high, and there's nowhere near enough spaces in this province, even on a normal day."
She says the 40 dollars a day offered to families by the province doesn't help those that are having trouble finding quality care. However, she is optimistic about one thing, as she says the strike payments move the government closer to accepting the $10 a day childcare plan.
"Once there is a fair settlement with teachers, whenever that happens, what has happened with the government promising $40 a day for childcare is that it's moved this province one step closer to embracing the $10 a day childcare plan. The childcare crisis that families are experiencing today is the crisis that many families experience year round. This province needs to step up to the plate and deal with childcare on an ongoing basis."
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