The ongoing teachers' strike is causing problems for daycare centres.
Image Credit: aka Jens Rost via Twitter
June 12, 2014 - 12:40 PM
PENTICTON - The ongoing teachers’ strike is not just affecting teachers, staff and students, but parents as well. Working parents who need child care services are running out of luck, especially if their chosen care centre is located in a school.
The approximately eighty families that send their kids to Kid’s Connection Daycare are now without child care.
The daycare, a privately owned child care centre, operates out of classrooms at Wiltse Elementary School and Uplands Elementary School. Director and owner Tina Bootsma rents a classroom at both schools where she runs her before and after school programs.
But because the strike prevents anyone, including parents, from crossing the picket line, Bootsma has to close her doors while teachers’ walk the line.
Bootsma has offered refunds to parents for time lost during rotating strike days, and will do the same if the strike becomes full time Tuesday. Rates for the daycare are between $15 to $40 a day, or $75 to $175 a week.
She said, parents don’t hold it against her, but there are downsides, including cutting staff hours on strike days.
“I really hope this gets resolved by the end of the month,” said Bootsma, who’s been running the daycare out of public school classrooms since 2002.
To contact the reporter for this story, email Meaghan Archer at marcher@infotelnews.ca or call 250-488-3065. To contact the editor, email mjones@infotelnews.ca or call 250-718-2724.
News from © iNFOnews, 2014