The challenges of child care — when you don't have family down the road

Women's Network PEI is reaching out to different communities across the Island to see what kinds of problems they face in finding child care.

The group is conducting a survey, part of a three-year project focused on improving child-care access on the Island. It has already started some in-person consultations.

Executive director Jillian Kilfoil said one thing they've heard from many people is that they rely heavily on family and friends for help.

"A lot of people say, 'If it wasn't for this person, I don't know what I would do.' And we noticed that for a lot of newcomer or immigrant Islanders, they may not have that larger network of support," Kilfoil said.

"They may face additional barriers or challenges because they may not have their cousin down the road who can help them with child care. And so there's really particular realities in different communities."

Surveys in English and French

Women's Network PEI is working with community groups in order to hear from a wide variety of people. The information gathered from the consultations and the survey will be used to write a report and create an action plan.

The survey is available online in English, and a link can be found from the Women's Network PEI Facebook page.

They will also be launching the survey in French next week.

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