Parents frustrated with Toronto’s day-care system

Emily Rooney, a GBC student and mother of twins | Photo: Steve Cornwell

With a child-care fee subsidy and a space secured for her four-year-old son, Shana Kealey reflects, “I’m one of the lucky ones.”

Kealey, a George Brown student and single mother, has been fortunate to find a space in Toronto, where child-care centres tend to have big wait lists, and kids on hold for the child-care subsidy number more than 17,000.

Lucky is another way of saying that things could be a lot worse. Without the subsidy, Kealey is sure she would be in a difficult spot. “If I don’t have child care and I don’t have a child-care subsidy, I can’t be in school, I can’t get a job, and I can’t elevate my family.”

Navigating the system to secure the subsidy and find a space was not easy. Kealey was so frustrated by the process, she says she posted a video on the Facebook page of Toronto Children’s Services, highlighting the challenges she faced.

“I made the video because people don’t believe how cold and callous the children-services system can be, and so many parents have to go through this alone.”

The video was later taken down, but after finding a space in the Kennedy and Eglinton area, Kealey is convinced posting the video helped her cause.

There are 943 child-care centres and over 1,100 private home care locations, most of which have a contract with the City of Toronto to accept children getting the subsidy. In all, there are nearly 61,000 child-care spaces in Toronto.

While that may sound like a lot, many parents have trouble finding spots. Emily Rooney, another George Brown student and single mother, has had difficulty securing day care that works for her and her twin boys. “It’s hard to find one adequate space that takes the subsidy, let alone two.”

Rooney couldn’t find a centre with two spaces for her boys near the college. The compromise was landing spots for her sons near the family’s Keele and Finch home. If Rooney could find spaces downtown, it would allow her to take afternoon classes.

Rooney has to commute for up to two hours from George Brown to pick her sons up before their centre closes, limiting which classes she can take.

Still, like Kealey, Rooney is sure that without the subsidy and without care for her boys, she would be in a tough spot. “I would probably have to go on social assistance, and I can’t really support my family with $600 a month.”

George Brown has 10 affiliated child-care centres across the city serving students and staff of the college. Like other downtown child-care centres, George Brown centres have waiting lists.

Patricia Chorney Rubin is the director of community services and early childhood at George Brown. “Finding quality care,” she said, “is a challenge for all families in Toronto.”
Chorney Rubin estimated that most of the students accessing child care at George Brown require subsidies. The centres help students apply for child-care subsidies and navigate the system, she added.