My mother started Riverbend Daycare in Calgary in 1987, and I started working there soon after it opened. I was 18, and I quickly learned that childcare isn’t a typical nine-to-five job: you become part of families’ lives. Over the years, I got to know their stories, shared in their hardships and celebrated their milestones. Occasionally, my mother and I even opened our homes to host children when their parents had family emergencies, and we offered advice and companionship to other families.
I supported making daycare more affordable, but this new system posed challenges for operators. After we lowered our fees, the province was taking 40 to 45 days to reimburse us with the promised grants. As we waited, we were forced to carry sizeable debts and interest. At one point, I was regularly floating nearly $100,000 of monthly debt for bills like rent, payroll and insurance, as well as expenses for food and equipment.
I haven’t yet been forced to cut any programs, but I am handcuffed by the constraints of the agreement, which is heartbreaking. At my mother’s daycare, we always prided ourselves on being inclusive, but I regularly have to turn away children with special needs because I can’t afford the additional staffing costs they require. I work 13-hour days and haven’t paid myself a salary since I opened the daycare three years ago. It’s been exhausting and stressful.