Child-care costs are dropping across Canada. But some families are still waiting years for spaces. Some daycares are closing waitlists due to high demand, as advocates call for funds for more staff, and expansion.
Ashima Arora was three months pregnant when she began looking for child care in British Columbia's Lower Mainland.
Today, Arora's son is 15 months old, but she's still waiting for a space — on seven different waitlists. On the longest list she's No. 198 in line, while the earliest available space might not come until September, she says.
"It's a nightmare," said Arora, 35, as her son Mankaran wobbled across the floor of their Chilliwack, B.C., apartment, squeezing a Peppa Pig toy. She said she's had to delay returning to work because she hasn't been able to find child care.
Parents across Canada are facing long waits to access child care — and experts say those waits are growing longer, even as Ottawa delivers on a long-held promise to invest in an affordable child-care system.
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