Childcare Limbo

My son's first day back and in a new school and I am caught in between a rock and a hard place. To get off of Welfare I have to get a job. In order to get a job I need childcare, BUT I cannot get child care subsidy unless I have a job. Yes, you read that right. My worker, Nadine, says that Ontario Works does not pay for childcare, not ever. The Region of Peel Children's Services needs 2 pay stubs to prove I am working in order to qualify for the subsidy.

So, I can't really afford to work. There is little in the way of incentive to get a job, even though I am required to look for one. Even if I was hired I wouldn't be able to accept because I have no childcare for before and after school. Not only do I not have childcare, but I have no way of paying for it. What kind of a welfare system provides no clear way out for those who wish to get a job and contribute to their community? How exactly am I supposed to become self-sufficient if the system hands me a fish instead of teaching me how to bait the hook?

This is what I am going to find out.

So far, not one service I have contacted about this has been able to help me bridge the gap between getting a childcare, a childcare subsidy, and my chances of acquiring a full-time, gainful employment. As it stands today, I have had to turn down two excellent opportunities because I have no child care, nor the ability to pay for it.