As a daycare provider I can tell you right now there is a huge shortage of workers in British Columbia. I get at least 100 calls a month for people trying to get on a waitlist of some kind or get their foot in the door of any type of care.
So what is the cause of this? Why don’t people want to run daycares anymore or work in a centre?
We are tired!
As a licensed child care provider in my home I am on my own when it comes to running my business. I work 10 hours a day to allow parents to pickup and drop off and get to and from work. After that I have paperwork, I have to sanitize the house, clean and organize all the toys, prepare for the next day, and ensure all my chores are done.
After that I have to spend time with my family, make dinner, take them to activities and try to fit in some down time to relax. This job is definitely not for everyone due to the high demand for all of your energy and mental ability!
I love my job and the kids I care for are great but it is very exhausting to deal with all of our daily duties, raise our own kids, and try to have some sort of free time for ourselves.
Parents are unappreciative!
You would not believe how many parents complain to me or about me when I need to take a day off. I have 3 kids of my own 2 of which have special needs and I need to take time off for appointments. I have seen and heard the complaints about these days off and it is very irritating.
I am the type of provider to do daily crafts and activities with their kids, give them gifts for every holiday, and spend lots of time teaching them manners and respect. This gets lost on most parents and they don’t show any appreciation for the hard work and amounts of money that we spend on their kids.
I know daycare providers that have taken the time to make them healthy meals and snacks, personalized clothing and so many other extra special things for the kids they care for and all of which comes out of our pockets. Parents are blind to the amount of work that goes in and it’s depressing.
Parents are making it difficult!
Have you noticed how the world has been changing and creating an all new generation of disrespectful kids? Parents are now popping their kids in front of an iPad or television and not taking the time to teach their kids important stuff like table manners, self discipline, coping skills, independence, and respect. We can only do so much for the kids we care for but parenting starts at home!
Teaching your child to be more independent is good for everyone including you, them, and any future relationships they may have!
Funding is stressful!
This year we made another program switch and it has created a delay in payment for nearly every child care centre in BC. It has now been two weeks of not being paid in time for our monthly bills and parents now have to pay next to nothing out of pocket. We are getting more funding through the government to cover costs for parents which is great but now we are relying on a flawed system that is not easy to follow, apply for or use on a monthly basis.
It is a pain in the neck to keep switching programs, and parents want more! They don’t have to jump through the hoops we do for the funding they receive, we are qualifying for these programs for them and they don’t seem to care.
Many daycares have decided not to opt in for funding just because of the hassle and stick to a system where parents pay full price out of their pockets. Finding a daycare spot in BC is getting harder just with the lack of spots but now with how expensive it is to live around here it is almost impossible to pay full price for daycare.
Regulations are crazy!
Have you ever read the regulations for licensed child care? Take a look for yourself. I’ll wait.
These are the rules we need to follow to stay open and continue to run as we do. I know many people who thought they could open a licensed daycare in their home, get to the process of being told what they can and cannot do in their own home and they decide not to go through with it.
Not only are some of these rules outdated but for those of us who have followed the rules and not been in any trouble we should be able to have a bit of wiggle room to allow more kids to attend. We are very restricted to how many kids in each age groups we can have and that is also creating issues when it comes to the shortage of daycare spaces.
Childcare is such an important part of life but it is getting harder and harder to keep up with demand and want to do this as a career. We are all tired, and need to be respected as people and not as a storage space for your children.
If you have a daycare provider take the time to let them know you care, teach your kids manners, don’t have unrealistic expectations, pay your bills, follow their rules, and appreciate what we do!
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