NEWS...
More Time for Regional L.P.C. Child Care Centres
In January, Regional Council received and discussed a staff report on the future of its 12 Learn.Play.Care (LPC) child care centres. A recommendation to close the centres in September 2012 was not adopted by Council, opting instead for more time and public consultation to determine whether or not the Region should remain in the daycare delivery business and how any changes may affect those directly involved. We’ll discuss this again in September when staff comes back with more information.
I am pleased that we have more time to consider this. As a mother and grandmother, I recognize the value of top-notch childcare and the peace of mind that comes with knowing your child is in a loving, safe and positive environment. It’s no secret that these 12 LPC centres offer high quality care; a gold standard, some would say. That’s a testament to the staff working in these centres and the training they’ve received to watch over all the children in their care, including those with special needs.
Having said that, as your Councillor, I also represent all constituents in Ward 10, including the 97% of residents that are not directly benefiting from the millions of tax dollars being spent on operating these centres; centres which, according to the staff report, will be losing about half of their clientele in the next year (as full-day kindergarten continues to be phased in), putting their sustainability in jeopardy.
Are we better off helping more children with special needs by closing the 12 centers and providing additional subsidies to assist parents who face struggles every day in caring for their kids? Are we able to find new and innovative options to enable us to operate these excellent centres in a sustainable way that doesn’t require more tax money?
Tough questions. As is so often the case, there are no easy answers. But we do have more time to consider this, and for that I am glad.
If you would like to comment on this issue, please write to me at Sue.McFadden@mississauga.ca and be sure to include your full name and address.