Since its opening in November 2023, the Sun Peaks Community Daycare was operated by Sun Peaks Mountain Resort Municipality (SPMRM).
However, as of Feb. 1, daycare operations transitioned to the Early Learning Society of Kamloops (ELSK), a move SPMRM said was always in the plans.
The transfer of operations to ELSK has been met with questions and concerns from families whose kids attend daycare.
The transitional timeline, lack of transparency during this process, staff wages and cost of care are some of the most prevalent topics parents urged council to address.
At council on Feb. 4
David Roberts, a parent with the Sun Peaks Community Daycare, presented council with key concerns shared amongst parents and employees about the transition during a Feb. 4 council meeting..
Despite council’s commitment to open and transparent communication in the summer when the change in operation was announced, he felt the change was rushed and the agreement with the ELSK was announced without prior public communication.
The largest complaints brought forward were the lack of a public process with the expression of interest and steps following, and the cost of care and fee model changes.
Previously, parents had the option to pay for the days they needed care, but the new pricing model requires parents who need three or more days of care to pay a full time fee.
Roberts recognized that a daily rate model isn’t commonplace but feels it serves the unique community needs in a resort municipality.
Another issue brought to light was the changes in salary for staff and manager, including salary changes.
Additionally, though staff wages have increased, hours have been cut, impacting pay.
This presentation concluded with the request for a document from administration explaining the oversight process.
Acting mayor Len Hrycan responded stating council had always intended on moving to another operator and had hoped to be more communicative throughout the transition process, however was faced with complexities including ensuring protection of personal information.
The cost was always going to increase, he added, explaining that the municipality was incurring a deficit as the operator.
Council believes the daycare is now in a stronger long term position, with more staff and more experience through ELSK, which can better structure the growth and learning of children.
Council response
As specified during the Feb. 4 council meeting, chief administrative officer Deanna Campbell told SPIN that a group of parents received an answer document.
Only a specific group “Advocates for Sun Peaks Community Daycare” received these responses, which have been summarized by Campbell and sent to SPIN.
Acknowledging that SPMRM didn’t follow through on its promises of transparency during the transition and apologizing for any mistrust it has caused, she wrote, “we did have the best of intentions, but due to internal pressures, protection of staff privacy, and confidentiality of negotiations we were challenged with being able to provide the communication updates and engagement we had promised.”
Following the public announcement on the transition of operations, she expressed her belief that the municipality was as open and transparent as possible, adding that confidentiality and privacy obligations are a condition of local governance that may prevent addressing each concern from families or the community.
Another area of concern to families was the transition timeline, which Campbell acknowledged resulted in a short-time frame for ELSK to provide families with the necessary information.
The transition plan involved what she identified as “a significant amount of time, effort and resources by both parties,” during which the municipality and ELSK worked closely to meet a February transition, a month after they were able to announce the change to families.
“From the municipality’s perspective, [ELSK] provided timely and frequent communications during this short period of time,” Campbell said, explaining ELSK held Zoom meetings with families during that time.
By working closely with licensing, she added that the transition of operations was smooth and without any gap in services or closures.
On the topic of staff wages and hours, the municipality refused to comment on employment negotiations and contracts, but as a general statement, Campbell said the municipality made efforts to ensure current staff and staff retention were prioritised in the transition process.
As noted at the Feb. 4 meeting, council sees value in staff’s employment with ELSK, with access to additional support, resources, mentioning, training and more.
“We also believe the daycare is in a better position with respect [ELSK’s] ability to recruit and train staff,” she said, adding it has already added additional staff to the team.
Addressing concerns regarding the new cost of care model, Campbell said SPMRM recognizes Sun Peaks’ unique needs, however it also recognizes that an operator needs to have a viable financial model to be successful.
An independent operator, ELSK’s rates and policies reflect its ability to provide quality early learning and childcare.
If the municipality had continued operations, Campbell added it would have sought to implement rate increases as well, having been operating in a deficit.
“We understand the reasons and rationale for the fee model and payment polices has been explained to families and that those who may experience a financial burden, have been directed to resources and subsidies that may be available to minimize the costs,” she explained. “Any further questions about the fees and policies should be directed to [ELSK].”
Finally, Campbell addressed the service agreement and Expression of Interest (EOI) process leading to the partnership with ELSK.
Prior to entering in an agreement with ELSK, the municipality hired a consultant to assist in an EOI process, including the distribution of the EOI through the Child Care Resource & Referral network, which covers all licensed childcare providers in Kamloops, distributed to the Early Learning and Childcare Committee members for sharing out and posted on the municipality’s website under bids and tenders.
Three proposals were submitted and only one provided the mandatory criteria. It was evaluated, with interviews and a site-visit as part of the process.
Under a partnering agreement, local governments can provide assistance with conditions that as a not-for-profit organization, ELSK and the agreement with SPMRM, don’t require as they would as a business, including public notice. Campbell specifies that the agreement between these two parties is not a partnering agreement.
“The Agreement is for [ELSK] to provide childcare operations in the daycare facility we own,” she said. “There are checks and balances built into our service agreement with [ELSK] with periodic reviews of service delivery to ensure the terms of the agreement continue to be met.”
Despite repeated requests for comments, no parents responded to SPIN about their experiences prior to publication.
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