(file photo/battlefordsNOW Staff)

By Trey Smith

Daycares Full

Daycares in North Battleford are full for teachers’ strike Tuesday

Jan 15, 2024 | 4:00 PM

With the one-day teachers’ strike looming tomorrow, daycares in North Battleford have already been pushed to their maximum capacities.

Families with young children looking to drop their kids off somewhere while they go to work will have to get a little creative tomorrow as drop-ins at most public childcare centers will not be available due to the limited space and long waitlists.

“We already have our kids here, like the afternoon bunch, the ones that go to school. They will come to daycare tomorrow, but no, we have no room,” said Crystal White-Ford, director at Learning Tree Child Development Centre.

“I don’t think we will be able to take drop-in kids tomorrow — just our regular kids who are already registered with us,” said Tianna Bolstad, a childcare worker at Debbie’s Early Learning Center. “We do have some school kids and those kids will probably be here tomorrow.”

Negotiations between the Government of Saskatchewan and the Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation (STF) have been at a stalemate for a few months now.

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The hope for many people in the province is that the Government and the STF can reach a new bargaining agreement and put an end to another potential strike.

If another strike occurs in the province, childcare centers around town will have to make costly moves to prepare for the numerous children that would need a place to stay during the day.

“Well, I’m going to have to hire somebody else to help me out,” White-Ford said.

“Oh yeah, we’ll plan to accept more kids if the strike goes on any longer,” Bolstad noted.

The STF said its reasoning behind the five-day advanced notice about the strike is hopefully parents and caregivers will be able to find alternative arrangements for their children, and not leave them scrambling for childcare options for tomorrow.

Rallies will be held across the province tomorrow in 33 communities, including North Battleford, to give teachers, parents and anyone else a chance to have their voices heard about the ongoing bargaining agreement.

The rally in North Battleford will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in front of Education Minister Jeremy Cockrill’s office tomorrow.

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Trey.Smith@pattisonmedia.com

On X: @battlefordsnow