Ever since Quebec created its inexpensive, subsidized daycare program, parents have struggled to get their children on waiting lists.

The phenomenal growth in places for children has been offset by the difficulty for some families in getting their children into those spots.

Many parents complain they and their children have waited, in vain, for years while others have been able to find a spot for their child without any difficulty at all.

Some wait lists already exist but some CPEs don’t participate in the current system, which led to a lot of searching for many parents.

“That parent had to note which ones were members and those that were not. They would have to call or visit those centres individually, so it was quite a job for them,” said Gina Gasparrini of the Quebec Association Of CPEs.

So now, 16 years after the CPE program launched, the provincial government is creating a centralized registry for the province.

"Not a day goes by where parents do not tell us about the difficulty they have finding a spot. Now the Parti Quebecois government is answering their demand," said Family Minister Nicole Leger.

Within the next week the provincial government will launch a call for bids to create a centralized registry for every CPE and subsidized daycare in the province.

Companies will have until November 15 to submit a proposal, and the provincial government will select a contractor by the end of the year.

Leger said parents should be able to put their name on a waiting list for every spot in the province by June 2014.

Those who run daycares think this is an excellent idea.

"We think this is absolutely great news. It has been very difficult for parents to manage, to get their names on waiting lists for all the daycares in the area," said Gina Gasparrini of the Quebec Assn. of CPEs.

To date there are several networks that offer one-stop websites for parents to register at several daycares at once, but there are many holes in the network.

The new system proposed by Leger will be mandatory for every subsidized daycare in Quebec.