Wildflowers Childcare might still be one of the few childcare centres in the region that doesn鈥檛 offer a healthy lunch and snacks, but it鈥檚 not the only childcare centre in the region as previously thought.
Kathleen Waxer, director of Community and Family Services (CFS), made the clarification during a council meeting, Oct. 18.
On Oct. 11, Waxer told councillors Jasper was the only childcare centre in the north-central region of the province that did not offer a food program, but a week later clarified her statement that Jasper was one of two childcare centres in the region that doesn鈥檛 offer a food program.
鈥淭here are 28 licensed childcare centres in the region from Cold Lake to Jasper and parts in between. There are also 51 licensed family day homes.聽Jasper and a small centre in Mundare (Alta.) are the ones that do not currently serve food,鈥� wrote Waxer, in a follow up email.
The issue first came up on Oct. 11, when CFS presented a proposal to charge parents an extra $115 per month to provide lunch and snacks. It currently costs between $900 and $1,100 per month for full-time childcare, depending on a child鈥檚 age.
Initially CFS proposed making it a pilot project, but dropped the idea a week later after Coun. Gilbert Wall urged the department to be straightforward with its request.
The request that is now before council simply asks council to consider approving the food program during budget deliberations in November.
Parents would not be able to opt out of the program unless their child is in the infant program.
Coun. Rico Damota voiced concern about whether the new fee would be affordable for residents with lower incomes, and who would cover the increased fees if people can鈥檛 afford it.
鈥淚f there鈥檚 going to be an increase in fees and people can鈥檛 afford it are they going to get denied having their kids dropped off at daycare?鈥� asked Damota, 鈥淥r is there some sort of subsidy in place that isn鈥檛 going to come from the tax payer?鈥�
According to Waxer, the program would be revenue-neutral and not impact the municipal budget. She also reiterated that providing a food program would be cheaper than buying groceries for parents. There is also a provincial childcare subsidy available for families that can鈥檛 afford to pay for childcare.
鈥淧roviding a meal for your child comes with a cost either way and evidenced by some of the meals that come in it will be significantly less expensive to have a meal prepared for many families,鈥� said Waxer, adding it will also save parents and staff a lot of time.
鈥淚t鈥檚 much more efficient to create one big pot of soup as opposed to opening 56 different lunches,鈥� said Waxer.
To support the program, the childcare centre envisions hiring a cook, which would be covered by the fees.
Mayor Richard Ireland and Coun. Dwain Wacko also raised their concerns about unintended costs associated with the program, while Coun. Gilbert Wall voiced his personal qualm about whether this aspect of childrearing should be the municipal government鈥檚 responsibility.
Council will decide on Nov. 1 whether or not to include the issue during budget deliberations in November.
Paul Clarke
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