Advocates call for more daycare spaces after Langley mom quits her job

LANGLEY (NEWS 1130) – The issue of limited childcare spaces in BC is once again in the forefront.

Nicole Ziegler, a mother from Langley says she was forced to quit her job last year after her former employer, Pacific Blue Cross, suddenly changed her hours at work. She was given two months to find a new daycare for her one-year-old son, and when she couldn’t, she resigned from her job, where she had worked for 11 years.

Sharon Gregson, from the Coalition of Child Care Advocates of BC says it’s a dilemma many working moms face.

“For mothers in the paid workforce, childcare is the biggest challenge. So, it’s not at all surprising that a mom was not able to find childcare on short notice to accommodate shift work.”

She adds the combination of long wait lists as well as high prices for the service have prevented some mothers from returning to work after having children.

“It is virtually impossible to find a licensed infant childcare space in a two-month window. Often families put themselves on a wait list the minute they find out they are pregnant. Then they hope they get a space by the time the parent has to go back to work. Waiting lists can be years long, some families never even bother to put themselves on waiting lists because they know even if they could get a space, the prices are unaffordable. Infant childcare is some of the most difficult to find and the most expensive.”

Gregson feels the issue ties back to a shortage of quality spots for a growing demand.

“In BC there is only enough licensed childcare for one-in-five children, and yet we know that the majority of children have mothers in the paid workforce. So, there is a huge challenge trying to find licensed childcare and then trying to afford it because most childcare is very, very expensive.”

Gregson says there is no easy fix, but pressure on the provincial government can amount in change.

“It’s taken decades for the childcare chaos to get this bad, it can’t be fixed overnight. The new spaces have to be affordable and they have to be high quality. There’s a big role for the provincial government to play in fixing the chaos that exists now.”

Since resigning, Ziegler has filed complaint with the Human Rights Tribunal, claiming discrimination on the basis of family status, which Pacific Blue Cross has denied.

An application to have the case dismissed has been thrown out, meaning it will go ahead.

READ: Nicole Ziegler vs. Pacific Blue Cross ruling (source: BC Human Rights Tribunal)

~With files from Sonia Aslam