CPE in Laval | A temporary facility with 42 seats will have to be closed

A CPE in Laval is struggling to keep a temporary facility open, with a waiting list of several hundred children. But the family ministry refuses to run it, considering that it already has many places in the sector.

The complex, where these 42 sites are located, in the Pont-Viau district, is fully equipped and operational, underlines Martine Desjardins, director of CPE Chapeaux ronds et bottillons, which manages these sites.

“We received $50,000 from the ministry for development work,” notes M^me Gardens. There are campuses. »

All parents find the facilities exceptional. It would be ridiculous if they weren’t used when so many desperate parents call us every day looking for a place.

Martin Desjardins, Director of CPE Round Caps and Shoes

Vicki Roy, former head of youth health services at CISSS de Laval, wrote a letter last winter supporting the plan to convert 42 temporary spots to permanent spots. Her service, “We can’t always find places in our programs and especially for most children [les secteurs de Pont-Viau et de Laval-des-Rapides]. »

“Therefore, it is preferable that your temporary installation remains open as it is already operational and will make it possible to get additional places for our vulnerable or challenged children,” Ms.^me Roy mentioned in his letter.

CPE Chapeaux ronds et bottillons, with its main installation of 75 children, was authorized several years ago to operate in 85 additional places in a new building. While waiting for the building to be ready, in October 2023, the government authorized the CPE, and in 2021, the government allowed the opening of 42 new spaces provided in a temporary complex adjacent to the main installation.

These are temporary campuses that CPE wants to make permanent. 85 new seats have already been allotted; So 42 additional seats will be available.

Martine Desjardins says there are 731 names on her waiting list for CPE. Across Laval Island, the Ministry of Families website indicates that 943 children are registered for a place in CPE in one place. For the Pont-Viau and Laval-des-Rapides departments, the ministry estimates there are “small” surplus places.

But according to M^me Because Desjardins is home to poor and immigrant populations in the Pont-Viau district, single-site enrollments may not reflect the level of need.

Hard closure to swallow

For many parents on the waiting list, the closure of the temporary facility is inexplicable and difficult to accept.

“There is nothing in the area for $8.85 a day,” laments Fatiha Alileche, a mother of two girls aged 1 and 2 and a half, who lives in the neighborhood and has called CPE Chapeaux ronds several times. Getting seats there.

M^me Alilech found subsidized placements at a Montreal daycare, but since she works from home, the situation requires long commutes.

Sandy, for her part, doesn’t even have this option: she and her partner don’t have a car and travel by public transport. As a result, they are looking for a place in the neighborhood for the two-and-a-half-year-old child.

The child was admitted to the family daycare, but Sandy, a former educator, was not satisfied with the quality of service.

So she left her job to take care of her children. “There was no other way,” says the young mother, who is withholding her last name because she fears her comments could harm her chances of getting a spot.

These mothers, like many others, registered at a one-stop shop before their baby was born.

The last nail

After a letter from the board of directors of CPE Chapeaux ronds et bottillons to Families Minister Suzanne Roy last winter, Martine Desjardins believed the temporary installation had a chance to become permanent. The file is analyzed.

But last July, the Head of Department for Ministry put the final nail in the coffin of these hopes by confirming that 42 temporary installations could no longer accommodate children after the new installation opened at 85 locations.

In the Ministry of Families, it is explained that there are 163 surplus places in the coordination office area where Chapeaux ronds et bottillons are located. However, as updated data is expected in October, it is not possible to know how many children are on the waiting list in the sector.

“The model takes into account population trends on a monthly basis, including births, migration flows, etc. », explains Ministry spokesperson Wendy Whitham.

“Of the 85 places allocated to CPE Chapeaux ronds et bottillons, 42 were quickly opened in a temporary installation,” he continues. Out of the 85 seats offered, 42 seats are sectional. So they cannot be added. »