On the eve of the new school year, the lack of places in Ontario’s childcare facilities is a concern for many French-speaking families. Some parents are forced to delay returning to work or sending their child to an English-speaking daycare center.
Stéphanie Chouinard is Professor of Political Science at the Royal Military College of Canada. She says she is fortunate to have a flexible and understanding employer who allows her to work from home when she should be teaching in the Kingston classroom.
But for this stuck-at-home Toronto mom, pursuing academic research while caring for her 9-month-old baby is a daunting task.
“I can only work when my son is napping or lying in bed at night,” she says. “I’m far from reaching my travel pace,” she admits.
The teacher does not expect to get a childcare place until March 2024, when her toddler will be around 1.5 years old.
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Claire Teshome hopes to find a place in kindergarten for her twins.
Photo: Claire Derelle
“My maternity leave ends in October, but I still haven’t found a place for my twins,” explains Claire Teshome. If we still don’t have places in February, we’re going to be in trouble, she admits.
If I had known how complicated Ontario is, I would have chosen Quebec or stayed in France to raise my family.
Two salaries to make ends meet
Claire Kazevman faces just as many difficulties. A few days before the start of the school year, the French emigrant is worried that she won’t be able to find a daycare place for her two-month-old daughter. How do I do that? asks the marketing manager in Toronto.
Already in the second month of pregnancy I was told that there were more than 150 people in front of me, says Ms. Kazevman.
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“I really feel an emptiness and I regret the lack of support from the government,” says Claire Kazevman, who cannot find a place for her baby in daycare.
Photo by : Rosy Maple
Time is running out to get back to work, says the new mom. She had no choice but to reduce her maternity leave as one salary is not enough in the current context of inflation. In order to make ends meet, two sources of income are necessary.
Lessons in English, reluctantly
Faced with an unsustainable situation, Claire Kazevman is willing to accept a place in an English-speaking daycare center even though she wants her offspring to learn and thrive in a French-speaking environment.
When fewer children use our childcare services, fewer children enroll in French-speaking schools.
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Martine St-Onge is Executive Director of the Francophone Education Association of Ontario Children’s Services.
Photo: Courtesy of Martine St-Onge
The director of AFESEO describes the problem as a vicious circle and wonders how Francophonie will continue in the face of such a situation.
The mothers interviewed for this report also agree that the lack of childcare places is doing nothing to alleviate the staff shortages that Ontario currently faces.
“We are exacerbating labor shortages, particularly in the francophone context in Ontario, where we know there is a glaring shortage of bilingual staff,” stresses Stéphanie Chouinard.
The downside of waiting lists
In 2022, Ontario announced it would reach an agreement with the federal government to create child care places averaging $10 a day by 2025.
Since then, daycares have fallen victim to the gradual drop in prices, according to Christina Clark, executive director of the La Boîte à soleil network of French-language daycares in the Niagara region.
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“In industries that have incredibly severe labor shortages, parents can’t return to work because they don’t have daycare,” says Christina Clark.
Photo: Christina Clark
A parent who could only afford to take their child two or three days a week can now afford it five times because of the reduced fees, she notes.
We are working at full capacity, which means we have the staff we need for the available places.
Under these circumstances, the Director-General asks parents to remove themselves from the waiting lists if their child does not attend daycare. Ms Clark points out that places in French-speaking childcare facilities are limited and demand is growing.
Additional provincial funding would be a good thing, but if the lack of places and the difficulty of attracting and retaining early childhood educators persist, a vicious circle is created, concludes Christina Clark.
The Department of Education had not responded to Radio-Canada’s interview request prior to the publication of this article.