Childcare services in the Rainy River district are going through some growing pains. Staff shortages, supply chain issues and changing regulations have created a challenging environment for growth.
Dan McCormick, CAO of the District of Rainy River Services Board (DRRSB), outlined some of the challenges being faced, as they work to ramp up childcare spaces, during the Rainy River District Municipal Association meeting earlier this month.
There is some good news – DRRSB is in the process of building a new childcare facility in Rainy River, which will supply 39 spaces, to be housed within the new Rainy River school. Supply chain issues have put the project slightly behind schedule, but it’s well underway. The district has also been allotted 400 new spaces under the new $10 a day federal/provincial partnership, which aims to build 86,000 new Ontario childcare spaces by the end of 2026.
“But we’re not going to be able to do it,” said McCormick, who cited staffing as a major roadblock.
“We have spaces available, but due to the ratios that are required for the number of kids to the educators, we can’t open spaces,” said McCormick. “And the province is giving us money. If you look at our budget, you’ll see money coming in from the province that we can’t utilize to make spaces, because we don’t have the staffing.”
In an effort to ease staff shortages, the province now allows teachers and teacher’s aides to work in childcare centres. However, education is facing staff shortages as well.
“Realistically what’s that going to do? Not much,” said McCormick.
He lobbied successfully for an Early Childhood Educator Learn and Stay Grant to by applied locally. That program sees the province pay full tuition and books up front for select programs, in exchange for time serving communities in need.
McCormick had 15 seats made available under the program. Only three were taken in the first offering, and five in the second.
Adding to the challenges, was a major childcare investment locally, which has seen several new childcare centres open in area schools.
“We just built new childcare centres before they came up with this new idea. We built it to the old standards, which is limiting how many people we can put in that space,” said McCormick. “So without capital funding to increase the size of the buildings, we’re not going to be able to expand.”
Instead, DRRSB is exploring alternative ways to add more spaces to its program.
“We’re looking at if we can support licensed home child care centres,” said McCormick. “We can also do certain mobile centres that are seasonal, so there are a couple of things that we’re looking at over the next year.”
