Grainswest - Fall 2022

Fall 2022 grainswest.com 25 the forefront of its plan. “We know childcare availability in rural and remote communities is important, which is why our government launched the $50 million Space Creation Grant in July of this year, which will create new not-for-profit childcare spaces in both rural and urban communities where there is a high demand or limited to no childcare,” reads the statement provided to GrainsWest by the office of Minister Jones. Cake, however, contends that to be effective, such measures require significant government mediation. “They’ve essentially said, ‘Here’s the money for space creation, come to us with a bid.’ It would probably be better if the government just said, ‘OK, here is where we have licensed spaces. They know where all the licensed spaces are because they’re the government. ‘Here are the children that we know exist there—we need daycares in these places,’ and actually start with that.” The province said more than 1,800 new non-profit spaces have been created between November 2021 and March 2022 in licensed programs that support children from birth to kindergarten. Additionally, they have committed to the creation of 10,000 new not-for-profit spaces this year and 42,500 additional spaces by March of 2026. Brady said he can’t help but meet such announcements with a dose of skepticism. “You’ll hear a big announcement of, ‘We’re going to open up 10,000 more spots in daycare,’ and then 9,000 of those are in Calgary,” he said with a laugh. “Which is great. Don’t get me wrong, they absolutely need it, too. I feel like I’ve got a bit of a jaded viewpoint. It’s like, yeah, that number means nothing until we get two more in Fairview.” For now, though, the Bartletts’ child care conundrums have abated, with both couples having eventually secured day care spots in Fairview. But, as the kids move toward school age, the next set of hurdles is on the horizon as current subsidies only cover children up to kindergarten. “Our daughter is entering Grade 1, so she’ll need out-of- school care and there are no affordability grants or anything like that for after school programs,” said Kristie. “She’ll be the one at daycare the least amount of time, and I’ll be paying the most for her when she has to utilize the care. I’d like to see maybe some of the affordability grants or a program for after school care.” Perhaps, like the Palys, the Bartletts will come to rely more on family and friends as their children age out of daycare, which is hardly a long-term fix for a provincewide issue. Regardless, despite the many challenges, these families acknowledge raising kids rurally has its advantages. There is all the room in the world to play and educational opportunities not found in any classroom “It’s a fun stage right now. He’s starting to ask a lot of questions,” Brady said of his eldest child. “The canola fields are blooming and we were driving by and he asked, ‘Who put all the flowers out there? It’s like, ‘Well, dad and uncle Blaine did that.’ “I came home today and he asked me if the seeds are ready for combining. He’s starting to put the seasons together, and the one-year-old is right behind him. I think they gain a real appreciation for building and growing very quickly.” “It’s a patchwork system where there are a lot of gaps in terms of which communities have access to providers.” — Susan Cake