Why some Island parents want more oversight of unlicensed home daycares
CBC
Some Island parents are pushing for more regulation and oversight of unlicensed home daycares on P.E.I.
With 2,000 families on the waitlist to get into a licensed centre, many are relying on unlicensed home operators to care for their children.
But beyond limits on how many children can be in the home, there are no rules those operators are required to follow. They're also not inspected or monitored in any way by P.E.I.'s Department of Education and Early Years — unless it receives a complaint.
"There has to be accountability to at least somebody," said Margaret Bond, who has been trying to help her teenage daughter find childcare for her baby. "It's a very, very important role these people play in our young children's lives. And you don't just leave your child with anybody…
"But people have their back against the wall because they need to go to work, they need to go to school, they need to go on with their lives, and they need childcare. A lot of people are in a position where they just need to find someone."
Bond says her 16-year-old daughter got on the province's child-care registry months before her baby was born this summer. With no hope of getting a space at a licensed centre, though, Bond reluctantly looked at unlicensed options for her granddaughter.
Last winter, she said an operator guaranteed her a full-time spot for this February, so Bond stopped the search. In November, the operator told her there was no spot for her granddaughter after all.
"I trusted the people that had given me this lady's name... It was not that it was somebody we did not know," said Bond.
"If there were some policies or rules or some sort of regulation by somebody, I don't think that would've happened, because then it's holding people accountable."
Raven Nichols would like to see more accountability too.
The mother of four spent years searching for childcare, and has gone the unlicensed route. She told CBC News that there are good operators out there, but it can be tough to know who to trust.
"You can't really verify somebody's skill set, or whether they're qualified or not," said Nichols. "You don't necessarily know who's going to be in the home and around your children, or if there are environmental factors in their home too.
"I've walked into private daycares where there's somebody smoking upstairs, or animals put away that you didn't know were there. It's a little nerve-wracking.
"So I think there does need to be a lot more oversight."
The Neighbour to Neighbour Centre’s trans and non-binary grocery program, which offers free food and household products to community members once a month, began with a simple question: how do we get free menstrual products to trans people without being awkward?
Bill Van Vugt is living a life that's unlike most other people his age, and one which has seen him turn a longtime hobby into championship gold.
The provincial government is taking steps toward improving Alberta's lucrative sand and gravel industry.
As medical labs across Ontario remain understaffed, one medical association is calling on the province to expand labs’ capacity for student placements by funding positions to train them.
The year wrapping up means it's getting closer to tax season, and the federal Community Volunteer Income Tax Program will once again be offering free filing services for Islanders with modest incomes.
It's not so easy to remove a politician from office between elections in Canada.
Natasha Martin-Mitchell says creating art gives her a sense of calmness that acts as a medicine during stressful times.
Gabriel Vilardi scored twice and star goaltender Connor Hellebuyck made 24 saves in his first game back from injury to power the Jets to a 5-1 victory over the Washington Capitals on Saturday that snapped Winnipeg's three-game losing skid.
Alberta’s auditor general Doug Wylie says his office's budget will be $1.5 million short next fiscal year.
British Columbia has filed a civil claim against e-cigarette giant Juul Labs, alleging the company developed highly addictive nicotine products and fuelled youth nicotine addiction with “deceptive marketing practices.”
There's been positive reaction in Ottawa to news that the nation's capital could be home to Canada’s first high-speed rail line by the end of the decade.
The Alberta government has confirmed it will follow through with a longtime pledge to shutter Calgary’s only supervised drug consumption site.
The town of Collingwood, Ont., is under a boil water advisory after a major water main break Friday.