'We don’t want to see our community suffer': Assiniboia parents work to address child care crisis

A group of parents in Assiniboia are trying to solve the town’s child care crisis.

A group of parents in Assiniboia are trying to solve the town’s child care crisis.

Chantel Hannah, board co-chair for the Golden South Childcare Centre, had trouble finding child care services for her son when she was preparing to go back to work after her maternity leave.

Chatting with other moms in the area, she quickly realized there were dozens of other families in the same position.

“Just a literal crisis of moms not being able to go back to work and then also not being able to put money back into the community,” Hannah said.

According to Hannah, a shortage of childcare spaces is forcing mothers to extend their maternity leave or quit their jobs and collect employment insurance. Others are relying on family members and grandparents to help take care of their kids, she said.

Hannah is part of a group helping fundraise for a new licensed childcare facility in Assiniboia: the Golden South Childcare Centre.

“We’ve had great community support, but without government grants and government help, it will be years before we would financially get to where we need to be,” she said.