Childcare wait lists long -- and getting longer -- in the Sault

As the promised $10-a-day daycare program is rolled out, there are 1,500 children on a waitlist for childcare in the Sault.

The local YMCA has eight childcare centres, servicing more than 300 families.

CEO Robert Burns said that list is going to rise as more families opt in to the federal government's $10 per day childcare program.

"Waiting lists will definitely grow, there's no questions about it," Burns said.

"I mean, we’re not even at full capacity now, and that’s not because of a lack of demand. It’s simply a lack of ECE’s staffing."

Depending on the time of year, their staffing complement "ranges from 75-95 per cent capacity".

Addressing that issue was at the forefront of a recent decision by the Sault Social Services Board.

Due to the lowering of costs for childcare, the board said fewer would need access to its subsidized childcare fund.

The decision was then made to allocate $280,000 this year, and twice that amount in 2023, to general operations budgets for childcare providers.

Board chair Luke Dufour said the intention is that the money would go towards staff pay increases.

“The logic here is that if you’re enabling your non-profit operators to increase wages, especially for the bottom of their salary band, you’re going to make those jobs more attractive,” Dufour said.

As far as uptake for the $10/day childcare, officials said seven out of 11 not-for-profit childcare centres have opted in, as well as one out of two for-profit daycares.

While additional applications are still being reviewed, the deadline was pushed back until Nov. 1.

As part of the federal program, childcare centre's that opt-in, such as the YMCA, have to lower costs by 25 per cent immediately, and an additional 25 per cent beginning Jan. 1, 2023.

The goal is $10 a day by 2026.

Burns said the first round of reimbursement cheques for parents, retroactive to April 1 are going out in the next few weeks.