Quebec moving to universal waitlist for $7 daycare

Parents languishing on a mishmash of waitlists to get their little ones into $7-a-day daycare could soon find themselves using a one-stop shop option.

Quebecs Family Minister Nicole Lger announced this morning that the province is moving toward a universal wait list that will allow parents to register their children online for publicly-subsidized daycare.

The new system is still nearly a year away from launching, however.

At the announcement, made at a Longueuil daycare, Lger said the aim is to have it up and running by June 2014.

"Right now, parents have to knock on many doors to find a place for their child," she said.

"Eventually, there will only be one step to sign up their child for all daycares that offer $7-a-day spots in Quebec."

The service will be free for parents, who will also be able to access their file to track the status of their application.

CPEs and private subsidized daycares will be required to use the system to fill their eligible spots, she said. Right now, those centres are not required to participate in any of the various waiting lists that exist.

Private daycares will not be required to use the system.

Parents who are already on certain regional waiting lists will be automatically transferred to the universal system.

There are still some logisticsto be worked out, Lger admitted, including how the system will work to admit siblings to ensure they're at the same facility.

The province believes the centralized list will give a more accurate picture of the overall child-care situation in Quebec and will show the different needs of each region.

Tenders for the online registration system are expected to go out later this year.