Peel Parents Struggle with Child Care Shortages as Waitlists Soar

Parents in Peel Region, Ontario, are facing increasing difficulties in securing before and after school care for their children, leading many to reconsider their career options. A recent report revealed that as of May 2024, there are approximately 1,470 children on wait lists for the Before and After School Program (BASP) for the 2024-25 school year. This shortage has significant implications for working parents who depend on these programs to align their work schedules with their children’s school hours.

One such parent is Nicola Montgomery, a registered nurse who has found her career plans disrupted due to the lack of available child care options. After going on maternity leave, she took an 18-month break, uncertain if she could return to work without adequate care for her child. “As it stands right now, I can’t go back,” Montgomery stated, reflecting the plight of many parents navigating this challenging landscape.

In Peel Region, there are 342 licensed BASP sites, but the absence of a centralized wait list complicates the situation, obscuring the true extent of the demand. Families often find themselves on multiple wait lists in hopes of securing a spot. The non-profit organization PLASP, which manages a significant number of these programs, currently has about 890 children on its wait list. Other organizations, such as Family Day and the YMCA of Greater Toronto, report wait lists of 290 and 124 children, respectively.

The increasing demand for licensed BASP coincides with a broader return to in-person work. Yet, according to Carolyn Ferns, public policy coordinator for the Ontario Coalition for Better Child Care (OCBCC), the supply of spaces is diminishing. “It’s a perfect storm,” Ferns remarked, noting that while parents are being urged back to the office, the availability of school-age child care spaces is declining, and fees continue to rise.

The federal/provincial Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care (CWELCC) program has provided relief for families with younger children by capping preschool fees at $22 a day, but it does not extend to school-age care. This gap has left many families struggling with higher costs for BASP. Ferns highlighted that parents are increasingly resorting to unlicensed child care providers or attempting to coordinate their own pickup schedules, as licensed spaces become both unaffordable and scarce.

The staffing crisis in child care is exacerbating the issue, with many providers unable to expand due to a shortage of qualified personnel. A spokesperson for PLASP explained, “As with all child care in the province, we continue to face a shortage of qualified staff.” This challenge affects the ability to meet the needs of families seeking care.

While the YMCA has increased licensed spaces at 21 locations, it is limited by staffing ratios and licensing requirements. The Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board (DPCDSB), which collaborates with PLASP, YMCA, and Family Day, is aware of the challenges and is actively monitoring the situation to potentially open new programs when staffing and enrollment permit.

Ferns criticized the province’s approach, calling it a “hands-off” strategy that contributes to staffing shortages. She pointed out that early childhood educators (ECEs) in Ontario earn about $23.86 an hour, often facing the difficulties of split shifts with unpaid gaps in between. The OCBCC’s report, “Roadmap to Universal Child Care in Ontario,” argues that the fragmentation of the child care system is a root cause of the current crisis.

In response to these challenges, the Ontario Ministry of Education stated that the province is making “record investments” in affordable child care and has launched a Workforce Strategy aimed at improving wages and working conditions. They emphasized the need for increased federal funding to support these initiatives.

The Ministry of Sport, which oversees BASP in Ontario, announced an investment of $43.9 million over three years into the After-School Program (ASP), aimed at providing recreation and tutoring for 13,000 children across the province. However, this funding does not extend to PLASP, raising questions about the allocation process.

As the situation unfolds, parents continue to voice their frustrations. Leah Rosalak, a mother from Mississauga, described her experience waiting over a year to secure a spot for her daughter in after-school care, only to be placed back on the wait list. She ultimately turned to an unlicensed provider, expressing unease about the arrangement. “We’re kind of forced into situations where we’re leaving our kids with people who are not licensed,” she said.

The challenges faced in Peel Region reflect broader issues in Ontario’s child care system. Advocates argue that a comprehensive and equitable approach is needed to ensure that child care is available, affordable, and safe for all families. “Leaving school-age care out of CWELCC was a policy mistake,” Ferns concluded, emphasizing the urgent need for reforms that address the needs of families across the province.