‘A child care desert’: Parry Sound mom asks council for more child care support in town [1]
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Transparency, inclusion, and support for working parents.
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Prichard cited a report from the Canadian Centre Policy Alternatives showing only 139 licensed full-day care spaces for 515 children below kindergarten age in Parry Sound — a 27 per cent coverage rate.
“We are what is considered a ‘child care desert’, which doesn’t even include our after-school care programming. Most of the women who are reaching out to me are struggling the most with after-school care,” said Prichard. “I’ve had to maintain a part-time position to be available to care for my eldest due to a lack of after-school care.”
She added there are currently 183 kids on the wait-list for 55 spots at The Waubeek Early Learning and Childcare Centre, and children under 18 months are “being denied care” due to the lack of spots.
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Prichard said her “call to action” is to increase transparency and inclusion, providing clear timelines for child care expansion projects, with the community playing a central role in those plans.
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