COVID-19: Alberta Daycare Faces Staff Shortage as Parents Juggle School Delays | The Canadian News

Alberta parents, schools and daycare centers are eagerly awaiting whether K-12 students will return to in-person or online learning next week.

READ MORE: COVID-19: Alberta will delay K-12 back to school in person until January 10

On Monday, Ontario announced that its schools will switch to remote learning starting Wednesday for at least two weeks.

While Alberta K-12 students are on an extended winter break this week amid a surge in the number of new COVID-19 cases in the province, daycare centers remain open.

Krystal Churcher, owner of the Early Start Learning Center in Fort McMurray, said that most of her staff members have school-age children of their own.

“We are already in a crisis of a child care staff shortage in Alberta,” Churcher said.

“It’s not something that we can find temporary staff to come in while these parents can go home and be with their children.”

The Alberta government said more information will be announced later this week on whether students will learn in class or at home starting January 10.

READ MORE: Ontario Families Fight Back As Omicron Forces 2-Week School Closure

“I think we can juggle this short one-week period with staffing, but if it’s e-learning, I don’t know what we’re going to do,” Churcher said.

That was horrible last year for staffing. We could barely keep our classes because we were … (very) understaffed. “

Churcher said she has been answering inquiries over the weekend from families seeking child care for their school-age children.

“(It’s difficult. We don’t offer that kind of service at our center,” he said.

Alberta Teachers Association President Jason Schilling said if students return to the classroom on Monday, there are many details that need to be worked out.

“We also need instructions on things like assemblies and sporting events and other things that happen on regular school business days,” Schilling said.

“Keeping people safe is the main thing, but we also have to give people time to be prepared for that.”

Wing Li, a spokesperson for advocacy group Support Our Students Alberta, said she hopes the province will use this week to rethink its current COVID-19 measures in schools.

“Putting HEPA filters, addressing ventilation in schools, having a more tiered approach to have fewer students in school at the same time,” he suggested.

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