INUVIK
After its first full year of operation, the Children First Society's outlook is pretty grim but former chairperson Kelly Penner said things are improving.

Melinda Gillis, former chairperson of the Children First Society, celebrated in 2013 as the organization closed in on the final push toward its fundraising goal. Since then, fundraising dollars in the community have dried up, forcing the centre to turn increasingly towards the government for support. - NNSL file photo

"The sky is not as black as it once was," she said at the society's annual general meeting Sept. 24. "It's not blue yet but it's grey and definitely lightening up a bit."

The centre struggled with setbacks including a windstorm last year that forced it to relocate to various places around town for a month when the ceiling collapsed over a weekend as a result of water damage. With the building repaired, their ongoing troubles however are financial.

While program fees charged to parents grew to $638,000 from about $390,000, fundraising contributions plummeted to $51,000 from $203,000.

"There are fewer fundraising dollars in town," Penner said. " We're going to need to look and think hard about how to turn things around for the society."

Patricia Davison, the centre's executive director, said that old methods of fundraising just aren't doing the trick. The group will have to look at other sorts of activities after wet dances, a popular method of raising tens of thousands of dollars in a night, failed to net enough to warrant the effort. For that $51,000 in fundraising revenue, the centre's financial statements show an expenditure of $45,000 for associated costs.

The other piece of the financial puzzle is government funding. Penner said the Department of Education, Culture and Employment is currently reviewing how it funds early childhood care after similar problems have cropped up in communities across the territory. While the situation may not be as dire in other places, she said that clearly the system isn't working.

"It's difficult to see how the centre can survive in the long run without increasing funding from the department," she said. "That's not news to anyone, a lot of child care organizations are facing the same thing."

The centre is host to 136 children throughout the year, down from 164 in the previous year. Currently, there are 72 children registered - 12 infants, 32 pre-school children and 28 school-aged children. Ideally, Davidson said they would have 16 infants, 50 pre-school, and 40 school-aged children, all bringing in fees. The building is licensed for more but Davison said that would mean having children in every single space, including the kitchen, foyer, and utility rooms, something that is obviously not possible.

As a result of the financial troubles of the past year, the centre has had to raise its rates to cover the shortfall, pushing out families who couldn't afford the higher cost. Penner did say the centre accepts children who are on government subsidy, which covers part of the cost, if space allows on a given day. Penner said attendance is now very close to the same levels as before the windstorm forced the centre to relocate temporarily.

Penner stepped down as chairperson after having moved away and has been replaced by three co-chairpersons - Mike Harlow, Eric Church, and Adam Wright.

"There were many sleepless nights on the part of all of us, trying to figure out what to do," she said. "It's been a difficult year but at the same time, it's been incredibly rewarding, in part because of the people I worked with."

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