Daycare rates jump again

For the fourth time since last October, rates at the Fort Frances Children‘s Complex are going up. By September, the cost of an unsubsidized spot will have increased over 30 percent in a year.
Council approved upping the rates for “unsubsidized” spots for residents Monday to $26.50 a day for the first child starting Sept. 1.
That’s up from $20 a day last September. Rates went up Oct.1, Jan. 1, and are going up in June and again in September.
As well, non-residents will start paying $28.90 this September for an “unsubsidized” spot.
But even with those rates, the spots are still considered subsidized. Daycare supervisor Phyllis Kellar explained the per-diem cost per child is about $42.
During Monday’s committee of the whole meeting, Coun. Dave Bourgeault questioned why the town was subsidizing fees for those who could afford to pay.
But Community Services manager George Bell warned if the fees went up too much, the town could lose patrons. What they were trying to do, he added, was bring the unsubsidized rates closer to the per diem costs.
“That’s our concern with moving the costs too high is that people will go elsewhere,” Bell noted.
The average fee for those baby-sitting from their homes here is $25, or $40 for two children, noted one local baby-sitter.
Kellar pointed out even with the rising rates, though, all 46 daycare spots are filled with a waiting list each day in case a child isn’t attending.
“[But] more are applying for assistance with fees,” Kellar added.
The “subsidized” rates are going up as well, with the minimum rate going to $3.70 for residents and $4 for non-residents.
In related news, the recreation fees are on the rise as well. The Summer Explorers and Getaway fees (which run weekdays 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. through the summer) jumped from $30 to $40 for one week and $100 to $140 for four weeks.
For the whole summer, the new rate will be $310, up $90 from last summer.
Fees for the Sports Camp will go up by $10 to $40 while Happy Campers’ rates are increasing $2 to $32.
By offering these rec programs, however, the town is competing against itself. Bell admitted the town did lose children out of daycare to these programs.
“It is not its intent to be a daycare,” he added.