Yellowknife (July 12/06) - Parents say if day cares close because of lack of government funding, they will leave the North.

"It takes two incomes to support us here in Yellowknife. If they closed, we'd have to move," says C.J. Caisse, who's son Dustin attends Northern Tikes Daycare.

With the high cost of living, Caisse says that almost an entire paycheque goes towards child care every month.

Alternatives North, a social justice organization, released a report recently on the state of day care in the NWT, listing recommendations to the GNWT.

The report's purpose was so that day cares and government had a "snapshot of the child care environment in the NWT."

The report found that day cares were grossly underfunded, day care workers underpaid and that daycares struggled to find the money for basic maintenance of programs and facilities.

This is in addition to the wait lists which are anywhere from three to 100 children at each day care. Parents pay $600-$700 per child for preschoolers and about $200-$300 a month for school-age children.

The territorial subsidy is $11 a day for each preschooler and $7.50 a day for school-age children. The report called upon the government for action, wanting to increase the subsidy and have it not based upon the physical attendance of a child to receive it.

They also called for better pay for experienced and certified workers as well as for a plan to be created to find more space for children.

A spokeswoman for Alternatives North said at a press conference that if these suggestions aren't met, day cares could close. Parents would feel the effects of closing daycares immediately.

Jim Boylan, another parent at the Tikes Daycare, says that for them it would have a huge affect.

"It's a necessity for us," Boylan says. "We have two children - one of them is special needs and one parent needs to be at home at all times."

He says it's important for his daughter to have day care. It provides a quality of life for both children, and keeps everyone sane, he says.

If day cares were to close, he says they'd have to find another solution - likely a dayhome, even though they are more expensive.

More expensive, Jane Howe agrees, but an absolute necessity if day cares were to close.

"I have a career, so I need day cares in order to pursue it," says Howe, a mother of two.

"They are both school age, so they only attend after school.

"If they closed, I'd work something out with friends."

She says the daycares are struggling for funding to pay the workers and that finances are more of an issue than day cares closing.

All three of these parents are concerned that because the day cares can't afford to pay workers there are times when there is a lack of quality care for their children.

"They can't keep good employees, because they can't pay them enough," Boylan says. "The minimum amount doesn't cut it."

A plumber, he also says that he volunteers his time there and fixes things that he knows wouldn't get fixed because they can't afford to pay someone to come into do it.