INNISFAIL – Several childcare providers in Innisfail are in a wait and see mode following news of childcare cuts from Alberta Children Services.
The province announced in early December that two daycare grants, the Benefit Contribution Grant and the Staff Attraction Incentive grant, will be discontinued as of April 1.
Innisfail has three daycare operations that provide childcare during the week and before and after school. They include the Innisfail Early Learning Centre, Innisfail and Area Family Day Home Society and the Innisfail School-Age Program Ltd.
“From what I’ve seen, I don’t think it’s going to really affect us too much,” said Tammy Miller, owner and director for the school-age program.
“Basically at this point it’s going to be a wait and see approach, what happens,” said Miller. “I won’t fully know until we start losing that funding. I can’t say I won’t necessarily need to increase fees…I can’t anticipate how this is going to affect us fully.”
The Benefit Contribution Grant was designed to help offset the costs of mandatory employer payroll contributions like the Canada Pension Plan, Employment Insurance, vacation pay and statutory holiday pay.
The Staff Attraction Incentive program grant gave new or returning qualified staff a $2,500 bonus at the end of one year of employment.
Miller said it may affect daycares in larger cities more than smaller communities.
“I’m not too concerned about the cuts affecting us directly, maybe because we are smaller. The cities that have more full-time employees…. that are running full daycares with full-time staff and multiple staff. I can see that being a huge effect for them,” she added. “We’re definitely not going to be affected to the same degree as large centres will be.”
Sharon Keeling of the early learning centre agrees.
“We don’t know how much is going to be cut. It is going to impact us (but) it will impact us in certain ways,” said Keeling.
She noted the daycare has not raised rates in two and a half years and has trimmed down staff, among other things, to help keep costs to a minimum.
“We still provide quality programming,” said Keeling, noting how Albertans have struggled in recent years. “For us we do everything that we can to minimize any impact on the parent.
“We do have our qualified staff. We’re just trying to find other means and ways to keep our fees as low as possible,” she added.
Keeling said the other grant cut may also not affect them.
Reshann Butts, director at the local family day home society that services outlying areas including Springbrook, Penhold, Bowden, Spruce View, Innisfail and Olds, said the cuts to the childcare grants will not affect them drastically.
With just two employees in the Innisfail office, the cuts will total about $5,000, noted Butts, adding that won’t affect quality of services, parent fees or agency operations.
“We can absorb that $5,000 by cutting costs here and there on other things,” said Butts. “It might affect us down the road if we’re looking to expand and hire a third office staff person, because that’s an additional cost so we (would) have to budget for that a little bit differently.
“Agency wise, we’re not expecting a big impact,” said Butts.
