City council made right decision in closing daycares (continued)

number of parents make use of the municipal centres. Other considerations: there has been a 24 per cent drop in enrolments from last spring to fall. And almost 30 per cent of children would be of JK or SK age and could attend the new full time program starting in schools this fall. By closing the daycares the cash-strapped city stands to save more than $1 million a year. Moreover there has been a tremendous growth in non-municipal centres – 28 new ones since 2005 in Windsor alone. The system has 1400 vacancies and, says the report, "will not have any difficulty in absorbing" the 425 children from municipal daycares. Also, with the exception of the Jefferson daycare, all the centres had enrolment last fall of 35 per cent or less. The cost has been prohibitive, with salaries perhaps in most cases double what workers in the non-municipal sector make. The per diem cost in a municipal centre is $88.62 per day, a non-municipal centre $33.55. As Ward 3 councillor Fulvio Valentinis, often the voice of reason on council, stated, "You cannot ignore the numbers."

WindsorOntarioNews.com Feb 2, 2010