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Parents caught off guard by temporary child care centre closure

The Sleeping Giant Child Care Centre and the District Social Services Board are both speaking out about the closure

THUNDER BAY — Dozens of families are scrambling to make alternate arrangements for their children after the abrupt temporary closure of the Sleeping Giant Child Care Centre.

Parents were notified Saturday by email that the Grey Street facility would not open on Monday, and were given no date for its reopening.

"We got 40 hours notice ... We had to scramble. We're sort of patchwork right now between family and friends, but if this is extended then it's going to involve either my wife or I taking leave from work, unfortunately," one parent told TBnewswatch.

Andrea Mulligan, the owner of the centre, said Tuesday that the closure is related to a funding issue 

"[Last] Friday at 4:30 was the decision-making time, where we knew that we could not move forward functioning without the funding that we'd been expecting," she said.

Mulligan said Sleeping Giant Child Care opted in last year to the Canada-wide early learning and childcare system (CWELCC), contingent on receiving some government funding by Jan. 1 to enable it to lower its fees.

She said the funding will also facilitate the centre's transition to a not-for-profit model, "which, again, offers opportunities for funding for our staff, and training as well to support our children at the centre."

Mulligan said she's uncertain what caused the delay in funding "or what the thought process was that enabled that to happen," and that she wishes she had the answers.

She was scheduled to meet Tuesday afternoon with the District of Thunder Bay Social Services Administration Board, which oversees 22 licensed child care providers and the implementation of the CWELCC.

"We're moving through our days with a very heavy heart," she said. "We're carrying a lot on our shoulders in terms of the disappointment and stress of our families and our staff."

Sixty families are registered with Sleeping Giant Child Care, which looks after up to 54 children on any given day, 

The parent interviewed by TBnewswatch said its temporary shutdown has opened his eyes to the shortage of childcare spaces in Thunder Bay.

"The bigger story here is the shocking lack of daycare options," he said.

Other options are 'few and far between,' parent says

"Two of the other premier daycares in Thunder Bay have waitlists with 500 names. These are two-year waitlists to get in, which is utterly shocking. The other options are these unlicensed home daycares which have pros and cons, and then attempting to find somebody you're comfortable with and that's doing it properly. Even those options are few and far between."

He said he and his spouse "are hanging in there and hoping this gets resolved quickly" because they've been extremely pleased with the services at Sleeping Giant Child Care.

"The level of service, the level of care, the environment they have there is next-level. I can't speak highly enough. It's blown my expectations out of the water. It's a phenomenal spot."

The District Social Services Administration Board reached out Tuesday to affected families. 

"TBDSSAB did not require, or suggest, the closure of Sleeping Giant Child Care Centre. The decision was solely their decision, and we are disheartened to hear that it may have been stated otherwise," the board said in an email to families.

Ken Ranta, the board's director of integrated social services, said in the message that two funding agreements that the board has with the centre remain in place, and that the agency has been working "with and alongside Sleeping Giant on their path to starting a non-profit centre. Despite information that you may have received, TBDSSAB was not involved in any decisions about SGCCC's closure."

Ranta added that the board understands the stress that families are under when the child care service system in the community is already stretched very thin.

"While we can suggest that those impacted ensure they are on the child care wait list to access another spot as one becomes available, we understand that this is not much consolation," he said.

In a subsequent statement to TBnewswatch, Ranta clarified that the Sleeping Giant Child Care Centre is currently licensed as a for-profit centre, and receives ongoing support through the Wage Enhancement Grant and CWELCC through the social services board.

"This remains unchanged; if they chose to reopen the centre tomorrow, the existing funding agreements would continue, business as usual."

Ranta also noted that any discussions around SGCCC transitioning to a non-profit provider wouldn't require the closure of the existing for-profit operation, but that no agreements are in place "at this time" with Sleeping Giant as a non-profit.

"Once reopened as a non-profit provider, TBDSSAB's funding of the centre would continue under a new funding agreement," he said. 

In her letter to parents, Mulligan said she's optimistic the child care centre will reopen "soon," and that this will be immediately after it becomes non-profit.

She said spots for all children currently enrolled will be held for them until that happens.



Gary Rinne

About the Author: Gary Rinne

Born and raised in Thunder Bay, Gary started part-time at Tbnewswatch in 2016 after retiring from the CBC
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