Quebec daycare portal slows admissions in Outaouais, provider says

A daycare provider in Gatineau, Que., says Quebec’s new childcare registration portal is slowing admissions and leaving subsidized spaces unfilled. Brenda Fournier, director of CPE La planète des enfants, said the system gives administrators less information than the previous platform and often sends only one candidate at a time, even when the child is not the right age or has already been placed. Fournier said her centre spent months trying to fill 14 spots and still had four openings when school started. She also said the province’s required waiting periods for parents to book visits and decide whether to accept a place have added delays, making it harder to move children into care quickly. Parent advocacy group Ma place au travail said it initially supported the delays to reduce pressure on families, but now wants the government to review the system. The group says some parents are receiving repeated calls while others get none, and the uncertainty can affect when families return to work. Quebec’s Ministry of Families said the issues are expected during a transition to a new platform and that work is ongoing to clean up the database. The ministry said the number of filled spaces remains high overall, while it continues to assess whether daycares should receive compensation for vacant subsidized spots.