This Ontario Daycare Is Offering 24/7 Service For 'Anyone's Lifestyle' & Here's How It Works
"Not everyone has a 6 AM to 6 PM job."
A table seen in a daycare. Family seen ice skating.
For many parents, finding suitable Ontario daycare and childcare options is likely a significant challenge, especially for those who work non-traditional hours or require more flexible arrangements.
The limited availability of 24-hour Ontario daycares, and affordable Ontario childcare options overall, can make it tough to balance work and family responsibilities. But one woman is trying to change this.
The mother of two decided to open her own daycare in Ontario, which would be able to offer childcare to parents with all kinds of schedules.
The Daycare of Colours, which is set to open in Greater Sudbury, will offer 24-hour daycare services all year round. The daycare aims to provide a "reliable, flexible and family-oriented" childcare service.
"In the city of Sudbury, there are more than 75 licenced childcare centres, but none of them on the list for the parental resource are open after 6 PM on weekdays/ weekends or holidays," the daycare's owner Jeseanne Lacasse wrote in a Facebook post.
"The Daycare Of Colours understands that not everyone has a 6 AM to 6 PM job. That’s why I am proud to offer childcare that suits anyone's lifestyle."
Lacasse promises her daycare will allow parents to drop off and pick up their children at any time of the day or night.
A separate Facebook post states that Daycare of Colours will be an "independent licensed childcare centre," despite not receiving any funding despite applying for government support from the City of Sudbury.
According to Lacasse, the city said that they weren't allowing new daycare centres due to already having agreements with 18 providers who have more than 75 daycare locations
"I won’t be getting any grants from the city for my staff or my centre, so I did my best to do the best I can to still be able to run a childcare centre without the city’s help," she wrote.
She says she's committed to paying her staff out of her own funds, including time and a half for working on holidays, and set up a go-fund-me page in November last year to help raise money for her daycare.
The Daycare of Colours would be one of the few 24-hour Ontario daycare centers and could become a major help to parents who need 'off-the-schedule' support on late nights and holidays.
Lacasse told CTV Northern Ontario that she hopes to open the daycare on April 1.
This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.