November 7, 2016
The decision by the Lac La Biche (LLB) Childcare Association to close the daycare, situated in the LLB campus, effective November 30th, was a harsh blow to us at Portage College. The College openly advocates for more supports for families and in particular women who are heads of households.
We recognize the disruption this cancellation of service means to parents, particularly to our students at the LLB Campus. We are appreciative that the LLB Childcare Association is facilitating movement of children to other daycare providers. While there will be logistics to be worked out, like transportation and possible reimbursement of fees, we are not without adequate numbers of daycare placements in LLB. The children will be accommodated but there will be inconvenience to our students who are parents and those affected.
While the Childcare Association operates separately from the College, we have historically provided free infrastructure and a financial incentive to accept college students' children at the LLB campus daycare. The daycare was originally envisioned as part of the student community's housing support model. However, the numbers of families at LLB college housing have been dwindling; at present, families represent approximately 4% of the LLB student population, and not all have children in daycare.
Portage College will immediately engage a consultant to develop a public tender on utilization of the daycare infrastructure available at the LLB campus. Recognizing that daycares conventionally operate 12 months per annum, this would be a condition for future operation inside our facilities.
We are also undertaking a 5 year analysis of our engagement with the LLB Childcare Association in relation to facilities cost, in-kind, and cash outlay. Timelines will be worked on by the consultant, but given the drafting requirements and business model assessment work, including the posting of the tender, we will not likely see a reopening (if indeed a new business model warrants it), until the spring or fall of 2017.
We acknowledge that Portage College’s service region is on the traditional lands of First Nation Peoples, the owners of Treaty 6, 8 and 10, which are also homelands to the Métis people. We honour the history and culture of all people who first lived and gathered in these lands.