Child-care spaces delayed for families working irregular hours

Child-care spaces designed for families with irregular working hours won't be ready as soon as the Newfoundland and Labrador government thought.

In November, Premier Andrew Furey said about160 new$10-a-day spaces would be ready in May, or six months from the province's initial announcement.

Nearly nine months later, the spaces aren't available in St. John's, Bonavistaand Corner Brook.

At the construction site for a new child-care centre on St. Michael's Avenuein St. John's, Education Minister Krista Lynn Howell on Friday blamed the delays on logistical issues and safety regulations.

"We did have some issues that we had to work through, in trying to get our sites open and operational, but we've overcome most of those obstacles," Howell said.

Timeline skewed

The child-care centre offering irregular hours in Labrador is open,contributing tothe 10,100 spaces operating in Newfoundland and Labrador at $10 a day or less.

About 1,600 spaces are currently in various stages of development.

Howell said the province is on track to open the St. Michael's Avenue location operational in a few months.

She said "a large portion" of the spaces in development will open this year.

"As with any project, there are things that you can't anticipate, and sometimes that just skews the timeline. But we're on track to have this one open and operational in the fall," she said.

About 3,300 parents are wait-listed for child-care services offered through the province's Early Learning Gateway. Since its launch in May, Howell says, about 100 families have found child care.

Plans & pilot projects

Howell and federal cabinet minister Gudie Hutchings also announced a three-year plan and pilot project to expand child care, early learning services, and provider hours.

"We've got parents who work shift work, rotational work, servers in restaurants. They need options that fit their busy work schedule," Hutchings said.

The pilot project will give parents up to 13 hours of care overnight and outside the usual 9:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. schedule at three locations.

The province is also creating 200 child-care spaces specifically for health-care workers in St. John's, Corner Brook, Bonavista, Happy Valley-Goose Bay and Wabush.

"Knowing that you have an appropriate care centre for your child while at work, whether it's in the daytime or at the evening or overnight, it provides peace of mind for parents," Howell said.

In an emailed statement to CBC News, the federal opposition said the announcement was nothing more than a photo op and that wait-lists for child-care spaces continue to grow across Canada.

"Just like everything else he touches, Trudeau is making child-care worse for Canadian families," said Michelle Ferreri, Conservative criticfor families, children and social development.

"Common sense Conservatives will fix Justin Trudeau's chaos, delays, and misery and bring lower prices and bigger paycheques so Canadian parents don't have to choose between putting food on the table for their kids and heating their homes," Ferreri said.

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