Strike-stricken parents forced to find last-minute accommodations for their children on Wednesday are rapidly finding many daycares in Thunder Bay are already at or near capacity.
The Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario on Sunday announced it will stage a daylong walkout on Dec. 12, effectively closing all public-board elementary schools in the city. The news has left many parents scrambling and day-care phones ringing off the hook.
Shubha Pandit, owner of Bus Buddies Childcare Centre, says on average looks after 20 children but has a waiting list of around 13.
Since the announcement they have been getting more calls to book appointments. She said many of those parents had stopped using her service when all-day kindergarten was introduced in Ontario, but are looking for a temporary return because of the strike.
Despite the demand, Pandit said they have to stick to their numbers and have already turned some people away.
“Tomorrow will be like a fun snow day,” she said. “The kids will have a good time. A lot of the parents are stressed out because they do have to look for childcare and they have to pay for childcare. It’s Christmas time so a lot of them want to save money for that. It’s tough on them.”
Amy McRury, owner of Grenville Wee Wonders Day Care, said most of her young clients attend Thunder Bay District Catholic School Board schools and won’t be affected. But the plan for those students with the public board is for them to spend the entire day at the centre.
Her daycare handles between 20 to 25 children, but is licensed to handle up to 41. With the announcement of the strike, she said she’s had lots of calls from parents worried about finding a place for their children to spend the day.
“I’ve had a lot of concerns on what’s going to happen, how long it is going to be and how long they are going to be without care,” she said.
“If the Catholic board were to go on strike we would be at our max. It’s pretty scary spot to be in to tell parents you’re full. You want to do the best you can for the children that are out there and make sure everyone can attend work and the children can attend a functioning program but we can only do and fill the spaces that we have.”
She said they have around eight spaces left for Wednesday but has extra staff on call if they are swamped with calls.
While parents are worried, McRury expects children’s feelings about the one-day strike will be mixed.
Some will enjoy the change in their schedule, while others will be upset by the disruption in their routine.
McRury added all they can do is reassure the child and let them know that school will be back.
“This is different than a snow day or PA day because it is something that we don’t normally deal with,” she said. “It’s not a day that teachers are taking to plan, but they are making a statement. It’s different in that respect but to us it falls into the same thing.”
