Parents in 'shock' after Halifax military daycare announces closure

The only daycare for military families on the Halifax peninsula is closing its doors by the end of March because it says it can't hire enough early childhood educators.

In an letter emailed to parents dated Oct. 20, the Halifax and Region Military Family Resource Centre said their decision to close the site is due to a "chronic shortage" of staff. 

The letter also stated that the centre, located at Windsor Park, is operating at less than 50 per cent of its capacity due to staffing challenges.

"My immediate reaction is panic, also a little bit of shock," said Andrea Trimper, whose daughter goes to daycare at Windsor Park.

The organization said it will open spaces for all the displaced children at their Shearwater location, about 20-30 minutes away by car from Windsor Park. Trimper said it's not possible for her to travel that far to drop her daughter off every day.

"It's ludicrous that they would abandon a daycare space that they have available knowing that there are families that need it," said Trimper.

Nadia Wilson is scrambling to figure out what she will do come March when the Windsor Park daycare closes. 

Like Trimper, she said she can't afford to take her daughter to Shearwater every day, and finding another daycare that will fit her family's schedule will be difficult. The military daycares usually open around 6 a.m. to accommodate military schedules, earlier than most daycares.

"Why would people want to stay in the Forces if you can't even basically support their families through difficult times?" said Wilson.

Wilson said she and other parents have formed a group to share ideas and try to find answers. She said they want more transparency into why the centre has to close and who was involved in making that choice.

"Ultimately, we would hope that this decision is reversed, that money is pooled into this particular facility, and that it's opened to its full capacity," said Wilson.

In an emailed statement, the Military Family Resource Centre said this decision was a "last resort."

"We will continue to operate our Shearwater Children's Centre. We will support Windsor Park Children's Centre families in their transition to secure alternate child care."