Finding childcare a problem in city

By Alexandra Noad - Lethbridge Herald Local Journalism Initiative Reporter on September 25, 2024.

Herald photo by Al Beeber Melanie Elliot, owner and operator of Windy Days Childcare, says the centre opened only eight months ago and is already booked into 2026.

Many residents of Lethbridge are struggling with long wait-times of daycares in the city.

Carmen Fisher describes her experience of finding a daycare that was accepting children was a “nightmare.”

“I called probably 20 different daycares and (was told to) fill out an application and pay this fee and we’ll call you when there’s a spot…it was ridiculous and painful,” said Fisher.

Fisher ended up finishing her degree as she found it easier to have friends and family watch her kid for a couple of hours at a time, rather than for a full day.

It’s not just residents struggling with daycare wait times. Windy Days Childcare Centre opened only eight months ago and is already booked into 2026.

Melanie Elliot, owner and operator of Windy Days Childcare Centre, says their opening was delayed due to inspection issues.

“Our (building) was renovated and then we had to add a bunch of firewalls, which set us back quite a few months,” said Elliott.

Sarah Schow, another mother in Lethbridge, believes the only reason she was able to get her daughter into daycare was because she had a connection to one.

“They had moved me closer to the top because of my connection to my friend. I don’t know what I would have done if I didn’t have that connection,” said Schow.

Both Schow and Fisher found themselves fumbling in the dark due to the lack of resources available for parents wanting information on daycares.

“I feel like there should be a pamphlet that the hospital hands out of a list of daycares,” said Schow.

Elliot says the reaction of parents when they hear the wait times is frustration and panic, because many are returning to work just to make ends meet.

The City of Lethbridge recently completed a thorough needs assessment with local childcare providers such as the YMCA.

Kristina Larkin says the YMCA was grateful for the opportunity to voice concerns to help make childcare more accessible.

“We know it’s a big need and we really are grateful to be able to work with all levels of government. All levels of government need to continue trying to figure out how they can invest in childcare so our communities can be successful,” said Larkin

Larkin also noted that since the pandemic, mothers especially have had struggles getting back into the workforce due to lack of childcare.

For Schow, getting back into the workforce wasn’t just about the money. It was also about socializing both herself and her daughter.

“I knew when I was pregnant with (my daughter) I wanted to go back to work. That wasn’t even a question it was something I knew was best for me. She would get some socialization and so would I and some separation so I could feel like a human person.”

For others like Fisher, being a single mom, she didn’t have a choice – childcare was a must.

Larkin encourages the City to take any actions they can to make childcare more accessible as the need is only growing.

“We would encourage them to continue examining whether there’s any of the action items identified are possible to implement, sooner rather than later,” said Larkin

After a divided motion, city council last week voted unanimously in favour to implement the Childcare Needs Assessment with Service Level Tier 1 and status quo resourcing.

Council voted 5-4 against considering at November budget review the concept of Service Level 3 and attached funding requests.