Toronto mom who pulled son from daycare over skyrocketing fees fighting for spot after centre reversed cost increases

A daycare centre is seen in this file photo. (Pexels)

A Toronto mom said she and a handful of other parents who were forced to pull their kids from a Toronto daycare after it withdrew from the national $10-a-day program are now pushing to re-enroll their children after learning that the centre will now be staying in the program.

In November, Sunnyside Daycare told parents that the centre was dropping out of the Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care (CWELCC) program, a move that would send parent fees at the centre soaring.

One parent at the centre, Melissa Bruno, told CP24 that she decided to stop sending her son in the New Year as her fees were set to jump from about $900 to $2,090 a month on January 1.

But in a letter to parents dated Jan. 23, the centre confirmed that it would be re-joining the national program.

“Over the last few months of 2024, the centre heard from many families about the important role we play in the lives of their children, and the impact that our decision to withdraw from CWELCC had in their lives,” the letter, which was posted on social media, read.

“We recognize that these changes have been difficult for many. As always, our goal is to ensure our ability to provide high quality childcare to the families we serve.”

It stated that the centre had been approved to “remain enrolled” in the CWELCC program and as a result, parent fees would not be increasing but instead, they would be dropping to $478.50 per month for all spots. The province announced last year that for child-care centres participating in CWELCC, parent fees across Ontario would be capped at $22 a day.

“Although we regret the challenges that you faced while navigating these changes, we are very pleased to be able to move forward with this program and the benefits it brings for all families,” the letter from the daycare continued.

“To all our families who remain enrolled as we move into 2025, we thank you. We thank you for your patience and understanding, and for choosing to remain with us.”

• Seven apparently connected Toronto daycares reverse plan to opt out of $10-a-day plan

Bruno said when she discovered that the centre was not in fact dropping out of the program, she and other parents who had pulled their kids from the centre asked for their spots back.

“Three weeks after the new full tuition rate was supposed to take effect, they basically sent this notice being like, ‘Just kidding. We’re actually staying in and your rate’s cheaper’,” Bruno told CP24 last week.

She said she and some other parents approached the daycare’s supervisor about getting their children re-enrolled.

“She told us, ‘Send your wishes to re-enroll in writing by email and we will determine. Basically, there was an ongoing discussion on what the most equitable way forward was,” Bruno said. “We did exactly what she told us to do.”

While she was waiting for a response, she said she heard from another mom who had been offered a spot off the waitlist.

“She contacted one of us because we’ve been so public about it, to basically say, ‘Hey, just so you know, we’ve been offered this spot, but we feel like we would feel horrible if we took a spot before you were able to get your child back into that daycare,’” Bruno said.

To date, she said she has not yet heard back from the daycare about whether her son or one-year-old daughter, who was on the waitlist, will be given a spot or given priority for the ones that open up in the future.

“They haven’t answered any of our emails, and it’s not just me. It’s other parents as well. They haven’t answered our phone calls, our emails,” Bruno said, adding that she feels “enraged” by the situation.

CP24 reached out to the daycare for comment but had not heard back at the time of publication.

Bruno said while her son will be in school starting in September, it is now unclear whether she will be able to find a child-care spot for her daughter in time for her return to the office.

“So all the waitlists that we’re on… we’re at the very bottom,” she said.

“If we don’t get back into the daycare that we originally were in, there’s essentially no hope for these families to get their kids into care.”