Sunnyside Day Care Backtracks on Withdrawal from National Subsidy Program Amid Parental Outcry

Sunnyside Day Care informed parents in November that it would be withdrawing from the Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care program but reversed this decision last week.

Parents who publicly criticised the High Park daycare for its initial withdrawal claim they are not being offered their original spots back now that Sunnyside has decided to stay in the program.

According to reports, some parents reached out to Sunnyside, a for-profit business operated by Holton Hunter and John McCallum, to re-enrol their children but have encountered silence in response. They suspect they are facing repercussions for their public criticism.

"I'm absolutely enraged," stated Melissa Bruno, who previously voiced her concerns to the Star and other media outlets regarding Sunnyside's initial decision. Bruno expressed disappointment that the daycare's leadership appears to target her and other parents for speaking out against what they deemed to be poorly informed decisions that negatively impacted the community they depend on.

Hunter and McCallum have not returned voicemail messages or responded to emailed inquiries regarding the situation.

Sunnyside, which operates two locations in Toronto's west end, had initially notified parents that they would be leaving the Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care program effective January 1. The federal initiative is designed to lower parent fees to an eventual standard of $10/day by providing funds to child-care centres. Without this federal subsidy, Sunnyside warned parents that fees could rise by approximately 150 percent.

However, on January 23, just four days after the Star reported on Sunnyside's withdrawal as part of a broader story about declining participation rates in the national program by for-profit daycares, a letter was sent to parents stating that the daycare would remain in the program.

The letter indicated that they had "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 (the Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care program) had in their lives."

Additionally, the owners noted they had consulted with "a variety of child care professionals," including government officials and other daycare providers, which influenced their decision to stay in the program.

In the letter, they acknowledged the difficulties families faced during these changes, expressing satisfaction in being able to continue with the program and its benefits for families.

When parents like Bruno learned that Sunnyside would remain in the national program, they immediately attempted to re-enrol their children. However, their calls and emails have gone unanswered, and they found out through parent groups that the daycare has been offering the spots of those who left to individuals on their wait-list.

Johnson, another parent who spoke out against Sunnyside, described the situation as feeling like retaliation. She noted that although Sunnyside made the right decision by listening to parents and reversing their choice, they have caused significant disruption and should permit those who had withdrawn their children to return.

"All I want is to get my daughter back in the daycare I never wanted her to leave," said Johnson.

Martha Friendly, a leading child-care researcher and advocate for non-profits in Canada, indicated that the conflict at Sunnyside highlights issues with the reliance on private businesses to deliver a service that is primarily funded by the public. She emphasized that child care is transitioning into a public service and that public services necessitate more transparency and openness than private entities.