It might just look like another headline to some, but for the parents of 60 Okotoks kids who have nowhere to go, the possibility the Kids Stop Child Care Centre may end up closing part of its operations is very real.
Daycare centres are owned and operated as private businesses, but for the families that rely on them they’re an essential service and the Town needs to do more to help get more childcare spaces in the community.
The potential one of the town’s long-running childcare facilities may end up closing the door for part of its operations at a time when there is already a shortage of space in the community is worrisome.
The centre was located next to the Okotoks Staples and its lease expired at the end of November, and was extended until Jan. 15, to make way for an expansion of the office supply retailer. Owner Joan Gauthier had been working with the Town to identify a new home for the facility since she learned in April the lease would not be renewed. Some locations would’ve resulted in higher fees for childcare.
When she wasn’t able to identify a suitable location, owner Joan Gauthier went to plan B. Rather than the close the door, she chose to split the centre up between two locations – one on North Railway Street and a second on the main floor of the century old barn housing the Bull Pen.
Gauthier hasn’t been given permission to open the doors at the Bull Pen location because of outstanding building and safety code issues, including concerns over the fire alarm system and the level of fire separation between the daycare and other tenants in the building.
No one should fault the Town for raising concerns about building safety questions.
It’s easy to ask why the centre’s owner didn’t work to find a solution sooner, however, it’s not as simple as it seems. When the Municipal Planning Commission approved the Kid Stop move in December, it also approved a second proposal by Children’s Place Childcare Centre to locate on Elizabeth Street. The centre’s owner had spent several unsuccessfully years looking for a location in Okotoks.
The process should have been fast tracked to ensure parents would not be left without childcare, a reality parents in the Kids Stop case are now entering a fourth week facing.
It’s no secret childcare is limited in Okotoks. Both Gauthier and the Town could have done more to ensure a space for the 60 children without care. While there is municipal and provincial red tape – such as licensing and zoning rules – that would have come into play, a temporary plan could have been drawn up that would have allowed Kids Stop to continue to provide care for the families it serves. In the meantime, this would have allowed Gauthier and the Town to resolve whatever issues needed to be dealt with regarding the Bull Pen location.
Priority number one should have always been ensuring continuity of care for the families involved and their children.
Moving forward, there needs to be a strategy to boost the number of childcare spaces in town. The Town is currently reviewing its land use rules to allow childcare facilities in more areas in Okotoks. This is a good first step.
Lack of childcare doesn’t just affect the parents who are struggling to find a place for their children to go.
The ripple affect is huge. Employers are affected when their staff can’t come to work because they have to stay home with their children. Parents could also start looking for daycare outside of the town, removing revenue from the town. A lack of childcare could even be a deterrent for some families to move to or live in Okotoks.
