“Locked door policy” comes into effect at day cares

All child care centres in Manitoba must have their “locked door policy” in place by this Friday. That means parents and visitors will no longer be able to walk into daycares without a swipe card or authorization from a staff member.

So far, 95 per cent of daycares throughout the province have complied.

“We’re really pleased with the progress so far,” said Margaret Ferniuk, acting director for Manitoba’s Child Care Program, “This was an enhancement to the Child Care Safety Charter and the area around controlling visitor access.”

Rhonda Cenerini is the director of the Family Community Centre daycare on Sargent Avenue. While Cenerini said they have tried to comply with the Province’s new safety rules, it’s cost her almost $5,000 just for a new door and lock system, and they simply can’t afford security cameras.

Representatives from the provincial government explained that some daycares received grants to install new security equipment, but not every daycare was eligible for the funding. Cenerini missed the grant to apply for provincial funding.

But even with the new safety systems she has managed to implement, Cenerini said she doesn’t feel any safer.

Cenerini’s daycare is located in a Manitoba Housing complex and resource centre. Over the years, she has witnessed a few scary incidents in the daycare’s building, like fights breaking out in the lobby and an axe-wielding man banging on the front door. Her daycare went into lockdown during that incident last January.

“A few months ago … there was a racket going in the lobby entranceway and our community outreach worker who’s normally in the resource centre opened the door and there was a man standing there with a fire axe,” Cenerini recalled.

They’ve also had toys and their picnic table stolen from the front yard this past winter.

"It’s a never ending battle on how to stay safe,” Cenerini said.

In Cenerini’s case, installing a swipe card system wasn’t an option: parents have to enter their facility through the adjacent family resource centre, which is always open, and then make their way to the daycare, then knock on another locked door to be let inside.

“Having that door to get into the resource centre is not the most ideal situation,” Cenerini said.

“We’d certainly like to sit down and talk with them and look at their specific situation because I think that has been the challenge,” Ferniuk responded, “You know, there are all kinds of different physical arrangements.

The Province has safety specialists who have been visiting child care centres with these “unique” circumstances, like Cenerini’s shared space.

However, the St. Germain daycare in St. Vital has just installed their security alarm and camera system Wednesday afternoon, and their management has no complaints about the new changes to the Safety Charter, so far.