How a Grandma Babysitting Club is addressing Ontario's child care shortage

A group of seniors in Ontario is offering their time and experience as parents struggle to find reliable child care spaces.

The retirees, known as the Grandma Babysitting Club, look after children in Waterloo Region on short notice.

“I’ve always loved children. I’ve always been around children. And what they need is a grandma,” Grandma Baby Sitting Club creator Maria Martin told CTV News.

Martin has a long history working with children. She previously ran the Airborne Trampoline Club in Kitchener for 25 years and turned one of the rooms into a play area for young children. She said that is where her love for kids began. After retiring, she tried to open a daycare but the pandemic sidelined those plans.

Now, Martin has gathered approximately five other retirees to help with the babysitting program. She said participants are vetted through a thorough interview process including background checks, and although they are not all grandmothers, they must be retirees in case a parent unexpectedly needs sudden child care.

The ‘grandmas’ provide in-home care for $20 per hour at a family’s home, eliminating licensing hoops they’d have to jump through if they were offering care at a centre or outside of the home.

Clients in Waterloo Region said they are grateful for the help.

“[I] definitely can’t work at home and manage the kids,” father Alexander Pokluda said. “Sometimes it’s unavoidable, but definitely on an ongoing basis we need the help.”

Pokulda said he tried to find a more traditional child care space for his daughter Luna, but she preferred being at home.

“We were able to juggle our schedule and we didn’t necessarily need to put Luna into something full-time,” he said.

The program has made a big difference not only for Luna and her family, but also for ‘grandma’ Deborah Lashbrook.

Lashbrook said she shares a special bond with the little girl and they like to learn and sing together. Looking after Luna has helped Lashbrook transition into retirement.

“She helps me be in the present because when we’re reading a book, that’s all I think about.”

Member of the Grandma Babysitting Club Deborah Lashbrook plays with a child on September 5, 2024. (Spencer Turcotte/CTV News)

Grandma’s needed

The babysitting club is facing one major problem: it needs more members.

In Waterloo Region alone, there were 10,000 children on a wait list for child care last month. Approximately 6,000 of those children needed immediate care.

The group operates in Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge, Guelph and St. Jacobs.

According to a post on the group’s social media accounts, “When the going gets tough, Grandmas get going.”

Martin is hoping to open an emergency drop-off location in the future where parents can safely leave their children in case of an emergency.

Anyone who wants to join the club is encouraged to email Martin or call 647-221-0212.