When the Cain family managed to get two of their children into a facility offering $25-a-day childcare, they thought part of their financial burden was behind them.
Unfortunately, on August 30, that all came crashing down.
Elizabeth Cain tells CTV News she got a call from YMCA Round Street telling her to pick up her son, four-year-old Grayson, because of "bad behaviour."
Officials told the family the boy had broken a teacher's glasses during an outburst and couldn't stay there anymore.
When Grayson's father Arnold went to the facility to inquire about the problem, he asked to see the evidence for himself.
"She said, 'Well, they're not actually broken.' So I said, 'He didn't break the glasses.' She turned around and said, 'It's his type of behaviour and we can't have that here.'"
Immediately following the incident, the family began to look for alternative childcare arrangements but, without the government subsidy, it's proving to be quite expensive.
"This is how you know times are tough. We normally like to have fresh fruits and vegetables for the kids, but at this point in time, we can't afford it," Arnold says.
To make matters even worse for the family, young Grayson feels responsible for the new burden on his family.
"Because of my behaviour," he says.
In response to queries from CTV News, officials at YMCA Round Street said they can't release any details about the Cain's situation.
They did say there is a policy in place when it comes to safety.
"We reserve the right to refuse service at any time to anyone who might put our members or guests at risk of either physical or mental harm," said Ross Jacobs, YMCA's director of communications.
For now, Elizabeth is delaying her return to work to provide care for all of her children. The family says they will have to rely on one income as her benefits come to an end.
"Not only are they punishing my son, they are punishing my younger son Declyn because he loved going there," Arnold says. "It's actually punishing me too because it puts a lot of stress on me."
He also says the whole situation has left him very angry and with a lot of unanswered questions.
"I am not happy with what is going on with this daycare right now. I don't like how my son is being singled out," he says. "I truly believe they should have had someone else in there who can deal with children and people the way the coordinator dealt with us."
CTV News reached out to Alberta Child Services about the incident and it says child care providers are independent businesses.
"There is no policy that requires a program to care for a particular child."
(With files from CTV Lethbridge's Tyler Barrow)
