Pitching in with child care during Monday's school closure
Anjuli Patil | CBC News | Posted: December 5, 2016 10:19 PM | Last Updated: December 5, 2016
Downtown Halifax church, Sydney yoga studio among groups ready to watch children Monday
Businesses and organizations were ready to help parents with child care Monday when the Nova Scotia government shut down schools as part of its ongoing contract dispute with teachers.
"It seems that people all over the city are pulling together to make sure everybody is supported, which is a positive that's come out of this," said El Jones, who along with Kate MacDonald organized free child care at Halifax's Cornwallis Street Baptist Church on Monday.
Schools will open again Tuesday after Education Minister Karen Casey said she was satisfied students would be safe as teacher work-to-rule job action begins.
'A project of love'
Jones and MacDonald said they were willing to keep the child care going as long as it was needed. The organizers managed to find volunteers among student teachers on practicum, professors and people who work with youth in the arts.
While most of the children at the church were younger, Jones said there were resources available to tutor high school students so they wouldn't fall behind.
"This is also a project of love and a project of supporting each other," MacDonald said. "Of course having the necessary background checks is key but also trust that we came together out of the goodness of our hearts and out of a community outcry," she said.
Yoga studio pitches in
Businesses were also ready to step in to help parents scrambling to find child care Monday. Bev Bryson, owner and operator of Potentials Yoga Studio in Sydney, offered a day camp at her space for $45 per child.
"Like everybody, we've been paying attention to the dispute that's been going on," Bryson said. "We had some parents contact us to see if we were able to offer anything in the event that the kids were out of school."
Premier urged to be flexible
It was easy to develop a day camp, Bryson said, because she had just had another one last week on Friday — an in-service day for students in the area.
The yoga instructor is urging the premier to be more flexible in the government's contract dispute with public school teachers.
"This is hard on everybody, right? This is a tough time of year for the kids to be out of school. Let's get this resolved and get the kids back and try to make everybody happy," Bryson said.
Grandmother and former teacher frustrated
Vivian MacLean drove on icy roads to take care of her grandchildren Monday morning.
"I'm very angry today," MacLean said before news that schools would be reopening Tuesday. "The education minister, a teacher herself, although I don't know what kind of teacher she was, is putting children at risk."
The 74-year-old grandmother and former teacher said she could see support staff in schools as she drove by.
'This is not safe'
MacLean said she is "frustrated with both sides." She said when she retired from teaching 16 years ago, the education system was in mess.
"Parents are putting their children in unlicensed daycares, they are resorting to people who are advertising child care. This is not safe," she said.