With kids aged 11 & 13, Lori is almost out of the horror of dealing with child care. With implementation of the $10aDay Plan, new parents in BC today will face fewer challenges down the road. Here's Lori's story about coping with BC's child care chaos.

My children are now 11 and 13.  I am 'almost' out of the horror of dealing with childcare.

My oldest child has a learning disability and coordination issues, so not only did he require understanding, professional childcare, but I also worked 3 days a week to accommodate taking my son to various speech and occupational therapy appointments. Trying to find part time childcare was incredibly difficult- every childcare center wanted full time and when I equated what I made to full time care, it was not worth daycare centers.

So, we often hired babysitters- university students. Sometimes this went well but often it went horribly unwell. I still remember being at work with a text from someone saying, 'I have a migraine- I don't think I can pick your kids up from school today.'

Any mother or father knows in the middle of work what a panic that is.

I also had young people without proper training, who did not understand the very different needs of my two very different children. It is unbelievably hard to go to work, worrying about your child.

I am a teacher and so very thankfully had summers off (I honestly don't know how working families can possibly pay for childcare in the summer and make ends meet). I taught Kindergarten for a number of years. Here is a subsidized system with professionals that have taken two University degrees, often with specializations in early childhood. Between my own childcare nightmares, and seeing what a positive program Kindergarten is, I strongly believe in $10 a day childcare.

I think all the money put into such a system comes back in so many ways. Between more women in the work force, paying into the tax system to growing children who become adults, paying into the tax system, there is nothing but positive to a subsidizes well planned out childcare system for young children.

Not only that, I think it's important for stay at home mothers who I am sure often feel isolated, who's children would benefit so much from a good, quality childcare program.