Andrew Fleck – Glebe Parents Day Care amalgamation a success despite initial controversy
Fifth Avenue Child Care Centre, formerly Glebe Parents Day Care, joined Andrew Fleck Children’s Services last January and provides care for families in the Glebe.
Photo: Nathan Cox
Andrew Fleck – Glebe Parents Day Care amalgamation a success despite initial controversy
By Nathan Cox
The amalgamation of Glebe’s community day care with Andrew Fleck Children’s Services, the Ottawa-wide childcare company, is now a done deal.
The change started in June 2024 when the board of the parent-run Glebe Parents Day Care on Fifth Avenue (GPDC) announced its decision to go ahead with the amalgamation, amid financial difficulties and looming threats that their class-three license might be revoked by the Ministry of Education.
The amalgamation also included the three other GPDC satellite daycares at Mutchmor, First Avenue and Hopewell.
Despite initial oppositon from some staff, parents and supporters, including a petition to stop the deal, Kim Hiscott, the chief executive officer of Andrew Fleck, insists things are now going smoothly.
“Things have settled,” she says, “things have settled significantly.” The parent board decided to okay the amalgamation, she added, after it realized its limitations.
“As [childcare] became more publicly funded, the accountabilities became so much greater,” said Hiscott. “The accountability to the city, to the provinces, everything was much more complex, so the board recognized that it was time, and they approached us.”
Patricia and Spencer Dunn, who have a child at the daycare and sit on a new parent advisory committee, agree the daycare operation had just grown too big for parents and volunteers to handle.
“At the end of the day, it had grown to be this huge centre, and they just did not have the experience or the wherewithal to run it.”
As part of the amalgamation, Andrew Fleck, which runs 25 daycares across the city, offered voluntary buyouts to existing employees, many of whom had had spent their entire careers at the GPDC. About half the staff took the package and left.
“They were closest to retirement and maybe just weren’t interested in working under a different structure,” said Hiscott.
While there has been some structural change, Hiscott says most day-to-day operations remain the same. “The educators are still responsible for programming. They are still making decisions around what things to purchase for their program. They still figure out who should be on what shift, that kind of thing.”
One big plus has been recently completed upgrades at the Fifth Avenue location. They include foundational changes such as plumbing, heating, electrical and new windows along with cosmetic changes such as a new kitchen, changes to the infant age playroom and ongoing construction of the outdoor space.
The other three daycares in the Glebe and Ottawa South remain unchanged, but Andrew Fleck is looking to switch from catered food to the company’s standard in-house food preparation, which may require kitchen renovations at Hopewell and First Avenue.
One issue post-amalgamation problem has been finding enough qualified staff for kindergartners. Hiscott says it’s an issue across the daycare system that will require some innovation to solve. One idea under consideration is to bring in Algonquin College students to supplement full-time staff. “We’re looking to see if we could do some earn and learn options,” says Hiscott.
The Dunns admit the initial transition with staff was difficult – in their daughter’s room, there was only one holdover from the previous staff. “Once amalgamation was definitely a go-ahead, a lot of the teachers just seemingly walked out overnight.”
But now they are happy with the new arrangement and say there’s no question they will send their newborn there as well as soon as she’s old enough.
“It’s been fantastic. The communication is great. The educators are top tier. It’s good we’re getting a mix of people from different centres, different experiences. It’s just an overall better atmosphere too.”
Despite the change in governance, the four daycares still have only tier-three childcare licenses, reflecting a history of lower compliance with provincial childcare regulations. Only about 10 per cent of Ontario childcare programs fall into that category.
“It’s nothing to be proud of,” says Hiscott, adding that licensing inspections to get an upgrade have been good so far. “Unfortunately, it takes multiple years of going through relicensing before you can get rid of that (legacy).”
Nathan Cox is a journalism student at Carleton University.