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Local daycare struggles to meet demand for childcare due to limited space for programming and activities, and Corry Gunn, manager of Anne Hathaway Day Care Centre in Stratford, said more capital funding is required to effectively serve the public need.
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The space shortage has resulted in waitlists long enough that parents seek home childcare, with Infant and toddler spaces also presenting their own set of challenges.
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Fortunately, Gunn said that staff turnover rates at Anne Hathaway are low compared to other daycare centres, with frequent staff adjustments resulting from potential worker burnout.
“These are tough jobs,” Gunn said. “I think maybe graduates aren’t fully prepared for the physical demands. With some on-the-job training, they adapt and transform pretty quickly.”
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Even as the waitlist grows, Gunn remains hopeful that progress will continue to address the shortage of childcare spaces, though the pace may be slow.
“People are starting to recognize the impacts of early childhood education,” she said. “They see the need for it, and the more attention is given to the positive outcomes of having a child enrolled in a licensed childcare centre, the more momentum there will be toward providing childcare for every family in need.”