Child care problem requires solution
Oct. 9, 2008
If you have a young family and reside in Manitoba, chances are you’ve had trouble trying to find child care for your kids.
If you’re like most folks and want convenient, affordable child care, you’re probably still looking— and you shouldn’t count on finding it anytime soon.
Child care has been a problem in rural Manitoba communities for some time — and has only worsened as these communities expand and more and more young families move in. Access to child care is just as much of a problem for many families in Winnipeg.
No matter where you live, whether it be St. Vital or Sanford, you will have great difficulty in finding child-care service that is right for you and your family.
According to the Child Care Coalition of Manitoba, only 14.5% of kids in the province under the age of 13 have access to a child-care space.
Even if you are lucky enough to find a spot for your child, if you are low-income parents, you probably can’t afford it. Two parents working full-time at minimum wage make approximately $36,000 a year collectively before taxes. The CCCM says it can cost as much as $7,280 to put an infant through day care for one year.
And we wonder why so many people with young families are on social assistance?
For those in a higher tax bracket, the cost of child care may not be as much of an issue. What is an issue, even for these folks, though, is the price of gas. If there is an affordable, convenient day care near your home, or on your route to work, it might not make much of a difference. But for many Manitobans conveniently located day care is simply not available.
Having to go out of your way each morning to take your kids to day care can make a significant difference when it comes to your gas budget.
Worse is the plight of parents who work in the rural communities in which they live but are forced to drive their children to another community — sometimes as far as Winnipeg — because child-care services aren’t available close to home.
The province has outlined a new five-year day-care plan, promising 6,500 more spaces and an 84% increase in funding. While that’s good news, it’s really only a start.
Promises and plans aside, access to child care is one of this province’s biggest problems. Let’s stop talking about it and find a solution.
