Loss of child-care centres leaves parents scrambling

Space shortage closes out-of-school programs at Victoria West and Tillicum elementary

Lack of space means that Tillicum and Victoria West elementary schools will no longer have room for out-of-school childcare programs, leaving parents scrambling for alternatives.

They are among 27 individual care providers in the Greater Victoria school district, including before- and after-school care, all-day daycare and preschool programming.

Increasing enrolment and the need for more room to meet the provisions of a November Supreme Court of Canada ruling are contributing to space issues. The court ruling restored teachers’ 2002 contract language, leading to smaller classes.

Ivana Tunklova, who provides care for children aged 2 1⁄2 to five years at the Vic West school through a Montessori program, said the service has been available for about 14 years and has 30 registered families. The program is located in a school annex.

Tunklova said it will be tough for the families involved to find alternatives. “Ninety per cent of my families live in the area, 70 per cent use a bike.”

The sudden loss of the facility is tough to deal with, she said.

“I am very passionate about what I do and my families matter so much to me,” Tunklova said.

“We need a full year for these child-care centres to transition.”

She said she has been able to find another option for the 2018-19 school year — purchasing a home and planning renovations for child-care uses — but can’t make the changes right away.

Nicole Nyvall, vice-president of the Tillicum Parent Advisory Council, said many parents are concerned that a change of venue could lead to higher costs.

The district will also deal with space issues by buying 12 portables to be spread among Reynolds Secondary School, Central Middle School, Cloverdale Traditional School and Willows, Quadra, Campus View, Northridge and Oaklands elementary schools.

Greater Victoria school district superintendent Piet Langstraat said that taking space from the two child-care programs was a tough choice that came down to giving priority to the need for additional classrooms.

He said the district believes in the value of having child care connected to schools and will work hard to maintain it.

With that in mind, Langstraat has scheduled a May 17 meeting involving child-care staff from across the district. The meeting was planned in response to concerns from many child-care providers and parents about possible rent increases.

“What I’d like to do is sit down with all of the providers collectively and talk about ‘Here are some of the issues that the district is facing, and I’d very much like to understand more about the challenges you’re facing,’ ” he said. “I’m hoping that we’ll be able to work together and … meet both of our needs.”

News that rents for child-care centres at district schools might double or triple had many people upset, and brought a large crowd to a recent district budget meeting.

The result was a commitment from the school board to launch a publicconsultation process.

The district is being responsive to the rent concerns, said Audrey Smith, president of the Victoria Confederation of Parent Advisory Councils.

“It is something that they need to figure what they’re going to do about.”

Child-care facilities operating at schools fill a need, Langstraat said.

“It really troubles me that we’re in this position because I very much see it as a continuum in education,” he said.

“We’ve had really great relationships and it works really well, and I see it as a vital service to our community.

“It’s really an unfortunate situation to be in.”

He said he also realizes that a large rent increase all at once is “problematic.”

“So what can we do and what does make sense?” Langstraat said he will listen to ideas. “If that means, for example, phasing it in, I’m totally open to that discussion.”