Tragedy at a home daycare in Vaughan, ON

[daycarewhisperer]

Unfortunately, with the waitllists as they are in the city for both daycare and subsidy, not everyone can afford to bypass such types of daycares. It's sad, but sometimes, it's reality.

I think the main message is that if you can't afford quality care then having children is not an option. Think and plan for this before having kids.

[Sandbox Sally]

I think the main message is that if you can't afford quality care then having children is not an option. Think and plan for this before having kids.

I am not defending the provider in this situation, nor am I defending the parents. I am saying that not everyone has access to quality affordable child care. Not only do some not realize how much daycare can cost, many do not realize that in some geographical areas, you have to search for daycare a year before you plan on using it.

I hope you are kidding about not having children unless you are well off. In Toronto, home daycares charge $50 to $80 dollars a day. What does that mean for a mother who finds herself single? What if she has more than one child? Are you saying that only middle class and above should have children? I am an intelligent woman whose first child was unplanned. It's not ideal, but it happens. I could not afford daycare, and were it not for the generosity and kindness of family, I don't know how we would have made it that first year. On my current salary and only having one child, I would be paying more than half my earnings to daycare. Without subsidy, how would I feed myself and my child? How would I pay my electricity and rent? As it happens, I have three children, not one. It's really not as simple as, "if you can't afford quality child care, don't have kids". Really.

[Twinklefae]

I think the main message is that if you can't afford quality care then having children is not an option. Think and plan for this before having kids.

Did you seriously just say that? I'm well aware that this is my first post, but this board came up when I was googling for more news about this tragedy.

So really? What are the people who DIDN'T plan to get pregnant supposed to do? Starve to death trying to pay for care they can't afford. Subsidy lists are long and jobs can be scarce. Have you worked in this field long, because I pity the poor parents who come in contact with someone as judgmental as you. Do you make them sign paperwork that their children were planned before they can start with you? Because I am absolutely gobsmacked that you could even think that, let alone have the balls to post it on a message board.

Do you have any idea how many people you are offending? Do you even HAVE children? Or are you one of those people who knows that you'll be the perfect parent when you have children, even though you have NO IDEA what it's like to be there 24/7 for a little person.

I was kind of hoping that I'd found somewhere to hang around online when I found this board, but if people are going to let offensive, bigoted, prejudiced comments like this go without comment then this is obviously NOT the place for me.