Stacey Stanford, The HUB’s Executive Director, is committed to bringing child care solutions to satellite locations in Prince Edward County. If not at the Atholl Town Hall, then perhaps in another of the County’s large inventory of underused heritage buildings.

But she stresses they must be in locations that are supportive and welcoming. She cannot put children and their families into conflicted or acrimonious situations.

Ms. Stanford spoke to the Gazette last week about The HUB’s decision to pull out of a deal with the municipality to create 24 licensed child care spaces at the Athol Town Hall by September. 

She said the Hub felt unwelcome — even as the ink was drying on the outline of an agreement between the HUB and the Town Hall’s community groups for shared use of the space.

“We were able to work through most if not all of the issues that came up from the user groups during the talks,” she said. “But there were strong voices around the table that made it quite clear that they were very reluctant about this agreement, despite what the leadership was saying. 

“After listening to all those comments, it became clear to me that The Hub couldn’t continue along this path at this time.”

Ms. Stanford informed municipal staff on July 3 that her organization was no longer interested in creating a child care facility at the Athol Town Hall. 

The Hub had agreed to a number of much needed infrastructure upgrades to the Hall in lieu of rent for the first year, and had secured the necessary funds from Prince Edward-Lennox and Addington Social Services.

In the aftermath of the failed negotiations, the two community groups with a stake in the Town Hall, the Athol Recreation Committee and the Cherry Valley Women’s Institute, said they supported the daycare proposal. 

Athol Recreation Committee Chair Carmen MacCallum said ARC was in full support of a day care at the Athol Town Hall and was “saddened” it would not move forward. 

“Prior to any decision being made, we recognized the critical shortage of day care across Prince Edward County and began a petition to our local MPP, Todd Smith, urging action on this issue,” said ARC in a statement. “The petition can be signed at the Cherry Valley Store and will also be available at Athol Day on August 17. We encourage all those who recognize the importance of this issue to sign the petition.”

That petition, however, suggests to some that ARC does not think the municipality should be moving to solve its own daycare problems in the face of provincial neglect. Never mind that the province had already supplied the funding to improve the Town Hall.

The Cherry Valley Women’s Institute noted its members are directly affected by limited daycare options in the County, and that some have to stay home with their preschool children. “The Cherry Valley WI members were disappointed to hear that The HUB had decided to pull out of using the Athol Town Hall as a daycare centre,” it said in a formal statement.

“Concerns and provisions from both sides were heard, and together we were working towards a contract that would have accommodated both the HUB and the community groups that use the Hall. 

“The Town Hall, being a community space, should be used for needs best benefiting the community and the daycare would have addressed one of the largest needs within the Athol community.”

Ms. Stanford said she has received a number of phone calls and messages from community group members heartbroken about the dissolution of the proposal. Many said they wished they had spoken up during negotiations, when it became clear that individual group members worried about losing their right to the Hall could scuttle the negotiations.

Ms. Stanford also said that public speculation about whether the Hub would be able to staff the new daycare was unfounded. While she noted there are places in the province facing Early Childhood Education staff shortages, by September the Hub child care spaces proposed for Cherry Valley would have been fully staffed.

“We were ready to go in September. Everything was in place regarding staffing.”

Would she and the Hub be willing to revisit the concept in six months time, provided there was still provincial funding to support the infrastructure upgrades required for the Atholl Town Hall or another community building?

“Absolutely,” Ms. Stanford said. “The need for child care in Prince Edward County is far too great to not reengage in this conversation somewhere down the road.”