At the Post-Graduate Students’ Society’s (PGSS) Nov. 7 Fall General Meeting, a graduate student in attendance raised concerns about the lack of childcare services at the satellite Macdonald Campus.
According to McGill’s 2021 Student Demographic Data Survey, 5.3 per cent of students have one or more dependents for whom they are the primary caregiver. Among survey respondents that did not opt out, 76.2 per cent—or 361 students—with dependents are caring for children.
For students with dependents, The Tribune explains the childcare services offered at both the Macdonald and downtown campuses.
What are the different types of daycares in Quebec?
There are four types of daycares in Quebec.
Early childhood centres are non-profit daycares that provide services at the reduced rate of $9.10 CAD per day. This rate includes an 11-hour daycare service with one meal and two snacks, provided that the child qualifies for the reduced parental contribution and forsubsidized daycare by the ministère de la Famille. Private subsidized daycares are for-profit, but they offer childcare services at the reduced rate as well.
Private non-subsidized daycares usually set their own rates, but parents who use their services may redeem a tax credit to pay for them. Home-based daycares are run in private homes and can be offered both at the subsidized or non-subsidized rates.
What childcare services exist for students at the Macdonald Campus?
The only operating daycare on campus is the Centre de la Petite Enfance (CPE) du Campus. It is a non-profit organization, providing childcare services to the staff and full-time students of both the McGill Macdonald campus and the Cégep John Abbott College. The CPE currently holds a permit to care for 60 children from three to 59 months in age. The daycare also accepts some children with special needs.
Nearby subsidized daycare services include the Centre Éducatif à Ciel Ouvert in Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue and Le Coin des Marmots in L’Île-Perrot.
How does childcare at the Macdonald Campus compare to the downtown campus?
The Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) currently runs the SSMU Daycare and Nursery on the downtown campus. The SSMU Daycare Fee (SSMC), charged to all undergraduate downtown campus students, contributes to the expansion of childcare services provided at the Daycare and Nursery. According to its website, the cost of childcare service is $9.10 CAD per day per child under the subsidy by the ministère de la Famille. The fee covers a 10-hour daycare service that includes snacks, meals, and education up to a maximum of 261 days per year.
On top of that, the McGill Childcare Centre also serves 110 children of McGill students, staff, and faculty at the downtown campus. The daily rate of childcare services, similar to the SSMU Daycare and Nursery, is subsidized and governed by the rules and regulations of the ministère de la Famille. There is a $25 CAD membership fee per family to be paid first in order to access the childcare centre’s services.
At the downtown campus, students who are pregnant, or students who have at least one child under the age of 5 attending daycare, may obtain parking permits for spots directly on campus. However, the Macdonald Campus does not have any specialized parking permits for students with dependents.
How are McGill and student unions addressing concerns over childcare at the Macdonald Campus?
In an email to The Tribune, the Macdonald Campus Graduate Students’ Society (MCGSS) President Jasmine Muszik acknowledged the lack of daycares on campus and wrote that Valérie Orsat, the Acting Dean of the Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences at Macdonald Campus, has been made aware of these concerns. Muszik noted that the issue has also been brought up at an MCGSS town hall where Orsat was present.
According to Muszik, Joan Butterworth, the Chair of the Joint Board of Governors and Senate Committee on Equity’s Subcommittee on Family Care also plans on raising this issue at the next meeting.
For more information on childcare at McGill, visit the university’s Family Care website.
