Members of the Yukon child care community are still upset by the territorial government's proposed contract for operators.

The government, meanwhile, says the deal does not require anything new.

Jasbir Randhawa, a spokeswoman for the Yukon Child Care Association, said this week the government is still being unfair with what it wants the Yukon's dayhomes and day-care centres to sign before giving them their annual grants.

For the upcoming fiscal year, the government wants the territory's day care and dayhome operators to sign a contribution agreement as part of receiving the operating grants they traditionally receive.

Randhawa and other dayhome operators have raised concerns that the deal requires changes that could put them out of business, such as hiring a chartered accountant to do regular reports showing how they spend the money they receive.

The government has not asked the operators to sign these agreements in the past.

Randhawa said the government's current draft deal is a multi-page contract. She said that isn't right.

The dayhome owner suggested it be a one-page deal that requires the operators to show where they spent the money before receiving the next year's grant.

Randhawa is concerned that if she doesn't sign the deal by April 1, she will not get the grant from the government.

'I personally talked to my lawyer; I won't sign it,' said Randhawa.

'We won't be able to survive unless parents pay from their pockets, and parents can't afford to do it.'

Brad Bell, the manager of the government's early childhood care services, said nothing drastic like that will happen.

'No one's indicated that the funding would be frozen,' said Bell.

The government is trying to get an agreement in place with all operators by April 1. However, if not all have signed, those who haven't will still receive their funding.

'If we're not there then, we will take additional (time to get them signed).'

Bell also said there's no need for the operators to worry about hiring an accountant, which would be too costly for many of them.

He said it doesn't have to be done by an accountant or a bookkeeper, although that would be nice.

He pointed out that some day care owners already have accountants or bookkeepers. Bell noted it could just be a bookkeeper. The agreement never specified a chartered accountant.

'There were feelings that it has to be a certified accountant and that isn't the case,' he said.

Bell also noted that the forms the government wants the operators to file are the family day home direct operating grant program monthly statements, something they already fill out.

'We're not asking that they do anything different,' Bell said.

Randhawa confirmed this morning that she fills out that statement every month.

She asked that if it was the same thing, then why the need for the new contract that has never been required before?

She said the problem is with interpretation of the contract.

'It gives them too much authority,' Randhawa said of what she understands of the deal.

She wants the government to meet with the entire child care community to explain the new agreement in plain English.

The association wants the government to have discussions with all members instead of one-on-one, which is what it has been doing to this point.

'Why can't you meet with the community?' Randhawa asked of government officials.

Talking one-on-one is causing confusion in the community, she said.

She accused the government of not working with the community.

'We don't see any co-operation right now,' Randhawa said.

Bell said the meetings have been one-on-one because people say they're not comfortable making statements to large groups.

He said the government has offered to meet the executive of the child care association. That proposal was made on Feb. 18, he added.

'They were not meeting with us before,' she said.

Bell said they initially met with the Society of Yukon Family Dayhomes, the other group involved in this, before concerns led to the one-on-one meetings.