聽If the funding is not renewed, childcare costs could more than double, spaces could be reduced, and staffing could be reduced at Wildflowers.
Fuchsia Dragon | [email protected]
$25-per-day childcare at Wildflowers could come to an end next spring if funding is not renewed by the government.
Wildflowers Childcare was one of 22 childcare centres across Alberta that was selected in 2017 to offer $25-per-day childcare as part of a province-wide pilot project.
Wildflowers was selected as an Early Learning and Child Care (ELCC) Centre and has received operating grants from the provincial government to allow the creation of new childcare staff positions and 12 new childcare spaces, while reducing fees to $25 per day.
But the pilot project had a three-year term and that ends March 31 next year.
A 鈥渞igorous鈥� review has already begun on the project, said childcare minister Rebecca Schulz in a letter to Wildflowers.
But the childcare centre is preparing for the worst.
Mark Fercho, chief administrative officer for Jasper, said: 鈥淚n the absence of any information coming forward in the near future, admin is preparing for this grant to be ending in March 2020.
鈥淭hat cost difference is going to be back onto the parents.鈥�
Wildflowers currently looks after 76 children a day and has a wait list of more than 100.
Lisa Daniel, manager of the centre, said at council this week that if the grant does not continue, the spaces will likely go down to 60 and the cost of daycare will go up to $54 to $62 per day.
Kathleen Waxer, director of child and family services in Jasper, said there could also be a social cost to families reverting to alternative services of childcare.
And three members of staff who have been at Wildflowers since the grant first came in have contracts that end in March next year.
Families in Jasper currently save about $50,000 a month thanks to the government grant. The total savings to families for the 2018/2019 grant year was $617,847.37.
Alberta has continued to grant childcare subsidies to lower and middle-income families during the time of the pilot project to help pay for childcare.
But the childcare has to be at a licenced or approved daycare centre or home.
Daniel said that in Jasper there are people who provide home care for children but because none are licensed projects, parents can鈥檛 access childcare subsidies.
And according to the provincial government website, alberta.ca, future funding ELCC centres for $25-a-day childcare 鈥渨ill depend on a successful evaluation of the program and on finances permitting鈥�.
