A Vancouver mom has written a letter to Premier Christy Clark, asking her to create a daycare registry in the hope that other families won’t face the same tragedy of losing a child.
Shelley Sheppard’s son, 16-month-old Mac Sain, died in January in the area of Commercial Drive and Kitchener Street, reportedly at an unlicensed daycare. The incident is still under investigation by Vancouver police.
“With no other options and because we could not afford a nanny or to take more time off of work, we went with our only option and we placed Mac in an unlicensed home day care,” Sheppard wrote. “Mac died on his second full day at this day care and it was entirely preventable.”
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In Sheppard’s letter to Clark, she describes the death of her son as nothing less than senseless.
“Mac was my sweet, cuddly baby and he was one day short of being 16 months old,” she wrote. “No, I will never get over it; no, time does not heal all wounds; and no, I will not get through this. There are no words or platitudes that will make this tragedy go away.”
Sheppard, who’s a social worker, says a daycare registry could help prevent similar deaths by allowing parents to write online evaluations.
“I believe that all daycare providers need to be registered so that we as parents can make the best decisions for the safety of our children,” Sheppard writes. “That registration could protect children from being unknowingly placed in homes with unfit day care providers.”
In March, Mac’s dad, Chris Sain, took to Facebook, urging British Columbians to support the $10-a-day childcare initiative.
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Sheppard reiterated the need for affordable childcare, and added “I wish I would have had day care choices that worked for our little family.”
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