Parents with kids at a daycare in Burnaby South Secondary aren’t happy about having to pay two fee increases since last year.
“We’re all a little upset about how they’ve implemented these changes,” Burnaby South math teacher Amos Lee told the NOW.
Lee has a child in the daycare, which is run at his school by Burnaby Family Life to accommodate teen moms continuing their education after their kids are born.
Since there aren’t usually enough young moms to fill the 24 spots, the program is also open to community members like Lee.
This month, he said, parents were told they would be paying an extra $125 a month for childcare starting in February.
Added to a fee hike at the beginning of the year, the increase means parents will soon pay $200 per month more than last year: $1,250 instead of $1,050
But Lee is most frustrated that the change is being implemented halfway through the year.
“I don’t think that change is right,” he said. “I budget as a parent. An extra $125, that’s quite a bit for some.”
Family Life, the non-profit that runs the program, has also announced it will stop providing kids with lunch.
“That was a big plus because they wanted nutrition for the kids,” Lee said, “and now the young parent kids won’t get that either.”
The centre is adding 45 minutes at the end of the day and extending service to school vacations – changes managers talked to parents about – but Lee said parents weren’t consulted about the second fee increase.
“I think a lot of parents are upset,” he said.
But Family Life had to make the changes to keep the program going, according to executive director Michel Pouliot.
“The reality is that the childcare centre has been running at a deficit for a period of time,” he told the NOW. “Carrying another half year’s worth of deficit is just not sustainable for a not-for-profit agency.”
One reason for the shortfall, he said, is that only 16 of the centre’s 24 seats are currently filled, and no young parents are enrolled
Pouliot said Family Life is extending hours and keeping the centre open during vacations to attract more community clients.
“What we came across is that community parents are not willing to sign up for a service that doesn’t meet their needs,” he said.
With the changes, enrolment is already up for January, he said, with 22 of the 24 seats spoken for, including three young parents.
Pouliot said a fee increase was needed to pay for the extra hours, and new clients will have to pay fees through the summer, but current parents, like Lee, who are used to pulling their kids for the summer break won’t have to pay – something that wouldn’t fly at any other fulltime childcare centre, according to Pouliot.
“Operators can’t operate a childcare if the seats are not filled for the entire year,” he said.
Young parents, however, are funded by the province at a rate of $1,000 per person per month, and if a young mom leaves the program halfway through a month, the ministry doesn’t cover the balance.
Asked if that means the fee increase for other parents is subsidizing the young parents program, Pouliot said no, because the government gives Family Life a different “pot” of funding for staff supports regardless of whether or not any young parents are actually enrolled.
“At this point the other parents are not subsidizing that cost,” Pouliot said. “The fee restructuring is just to put us in line with what the market rates are for childcare in Burnaby.”
As for cancelling the nutritious food for kids, Pouliot said Family Life has been subsidizing that cost and can no longer afford to do so.
“As bad as I feel about not offering the nutritional supplement, I feel a whole lot better knowing that we’ve got a sustainable budget for a program that meets a very important need in the community,” Pouliot said.
Since 1971, Burnaby Family Life has provided programs in counselling, parenting, pregnancy, English language skills, childhood literacy and childcare.
For more information, visit www.burnabyfamilylife.org.
