A New Westminster arts group that also operates badly-needed child-care programs could be at risk due to government red tape.
Stefani Swinnerd has run The Stage Musical Theatre Academy for more than a decade and after the COVID-19 pandemic, she planned to open daycare and after-school programs.
However, construction delays pushed back the licensing process and now the facility’s financial viability is in limbo while waiting for the provincial government to decide if families on its waiting list are eligible for child-care subsidies.
“When you have providers who are willing to take on the expense and the personal risk to build a playground out of a parking lot and to develop an old office space into a beautiful facility, we need support,” Swinnerd said.
“We absolutely need support and we should not be held up by this type of red tape. ”
Mitzi Dean, B.C.’s Minister of Child Care said her department has worked closely with Swinnerd and looked at what services are being offered.
She said they are also looking at what fees are being proposed, and what other ways the ministry could work with them in order to be able to make this work.
Adrienne Montani, the executive director of First Call Child and Youth Advocacy Society, said they have heard from parents in New Westminster about the lack of available child care and the challenge of getting on a waitlist for a facility.
“I had looked up some numbers beforehand, to see what the access looked like in New Westminster,” she said.
“Overall 34 out of every 100 kids, so 34 per cent of children would have access to child care, if they’re under 12. But when you break it down by age, it gets a bit more interesting because for 0 to 3-year-olds, so infant toddler care, it’s about 20 per cent access. For 3 to 5-year-olds, it’s 57 per cent access. For school-age kids, it’s eight per cent access, so only eight of every 100 kids can find a spot.”
