'It's just a nightmare': Some families in Waterloo region left without child care after software glitch

Some families in Waterloo region have been left without child care just days before the start of school due to a software malfunction connected to the online registration program. 

Those left to fend for themselves are calling on the Waterloo Region District School Board (WRDSB) and the Waterloo Catholic District School Board (WCDSB) to do more to address the backlog of students needing care and better communicate with families.

The malfunction was a result of One Human Service Network's (OneHSN) child-care registration program, which sent out emails earlier in the summer stating families had received a spot. 

Shortly after, some parents received an email from the company saying the first email was an error and confirming that they didn't have a spot. 

In an emailed statement to CBC News, OneHSN said it's a matter of dealing with two significant challenges: capacity issues and the growing demand for their services in the area. 

"While the system malfunction added to the confusion, the core issue remains that the demand for child care far exceeds the available spots," the statement said. 

"We are actively working with the Waterloo school boards to address the challenges created by this lack of capacity and to improve our processes. Our top priority is to ensure that families have access to the child care they need."

Ross Howey with WRDSB says as of Sept. 4, there were still 73 students on the wait list for after school programs.

Lema Salaymeh from WCDSB says 79 students were on the wait list as of Aug. 29, which is the latest update the Catholic board has from the service provider.

WRDSB also said they're frustrated with delays in the registration system and recognize the efforts for increased child care. 

Joanne Weston, chair of the WRDSB board of trustees, said staff "remain committed to finding opportunities that allow us to increase the number of available spots" within the school board and the board is working with OneHSN to find a solution. 

"These delays are impacting the ability of families and caregivers to effectively plan for the fall; for that, we apologize," she said. 

Huge increase in child-care demand 

Marguerite Doyon needs child care five days a week after school for her three children. She noticed one of them wasn't enrolled on Thursdays, so she went in to change it, and that's when she encountered problems.

"When changes were opened, I went into the tool and clicked on the button to change schedule and added Thursday. I got an email saying it was successful, but when I went into the tool, it had unenrolled me from everything." 

Although the malfunction has made enrolling especially difficult this year, the region has historically had a need for extra child care. Since 2022, the Waterloo has seen a 115 per cent increase in demand. 

It's a gap needing to be filled, and Doyon said the board's lack of transparency hasn't made things easier for her. 

Doyon said she has reached out to the emails the school board has provided to get help to fix the issue, but no one answers her. 

"I've left many [messages] throughout this whole debacle and have never received a response other than a form auto reply," she said. "It's just a nightmare.

"You would expect in a situation like this there would be regular updates from both the company and the board letting parents know what is happening, and how they are working to fix it."