What to know
- A Toronto parent’s TikTok comparing kids’ program registration to The Hunger Games has resonated with many families who say spots in popular classes fill up within minutes.
- Seasonal activities offered by the City of Toronto require parents to register online starting at 7 a.m., often competing with thousands of others for limited spots.
- Officials say the new Registration and Booking system, including a wishlist feature and early local registration, has reduced wait times, though some parents say the process remains stressful.
A viral video of a parent reminding others to get ready for programming registration in Toronto is sparking conversations about how difficult it is to get a spot.
Winter is coming to an end, and for some Toronto parents, the relief of the warmer weather comes with extreme pressure to find their children activities to do in the warmer months.
The City of Toronto offers a series of different activities children and adults can partake in during different seasons. Its spring programming, which launches the week of Mar. 28, includes sessions in dancing, music, art workshops, swimming, skating, sporting classes, and more.
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However, to join the program, parents must register their kids through the city’s portal, which can be done online, via phone, or in-person. Registration is divided into two periods, depending on region, with one opening at 7 a.m. on Mar. 4 and the other also at 7 a.m. on Mar. 5.
But with so many parents trying to get their children spots for these programs at once, registration can become a real inconvenience.
Tahnee Duncan, a Toronto mother who has been registering her daughter for programs across all seasons for two years now, told Now Toronto that the programming is an opportunity for her child to practice new skills and have something productive to do outside of school hours.
“It’s important that my child has something constructive to do after school as well. Since she goes to a TDSB school and majority TDSB schools don’t have tools, I think it’s important that she learns how to swim. So, that’s an additional push for us as to why she needs to get into spring programming,” she said.
But according to Duncan, the way registration is designed makes it very difficult to secure her desired programs.
“It’s probably how they program their website to handle the workload, as in how many people are logged in at once,” she said.
In addition to having to compete with other parents, Duncan says the fact that registration opens at 7 a.m. is an inconvenience for parents, as many have to balance it with having to prepare and drive their kids to school at that time.
“[It’s an] absolute inconvenience, especially if you’re a parent with multiple children in your house. Most often, parents who are using the City of Toronto are low income or single parents. So, for instance, I have friends who have three kids. They have to get ready in the morning, plus do registration. It’s a complete headache,” she said.
Video sparks debate
A day before the registration period on Wednesday, Duncan posted a video reminding other parents to prepare for the process, which she compared to The Hunger Games.
“This is a message to all Toronto parents. As you know, tomorrow at 7 a.m. begins The Hunger Games, a.k.a. registration with the City of Toronto. I implore you now to ensure that your wish list is up to date because these fingers are gonna go hard,” she said.
The video quickly gained traction online, with many speaking out about the challenges of the process.
“It opens at 7. Everything good is gone by 7:02,” one TikToker said.
“Got in at 7 a.m. Somehow ended up 15th on the waitlist!!!! How? Something’s gotta change. I hate an anxious Tuesday morning!!!!” another person shared.
“I remember when l lived in Toronto. I couldn’t get my kid into any programs. They were always full or too far. Moved to Brampton and l picked, chose, and refused camps, lessons, art classes. It was so refreshing,” a different person added.
“As a former city parks and rec employee, listen to her, The Hunger Games is the perfect analogy,” someone said.
City continues to improve programs
A director at the Toronto’s Parks & Recreation department, Aydin Sarrafzadeh, said the city has launched technical and process improvements in its registration platform over the past year to help parents through it.
In 2024, the city launched its Registration and Booking system, which allows residents to see the available programs and create a wishlist before registration starts. Parents are then able to process transactions through the wishlist on the day of registration, which facilitates the process.
According to Sarrafzadeh, with the introduction of the wishlist tool, there has been a significant decrease in queue wait times to process transactions.
In fact, Duncan says the wish list made the process smoother, making it possible for her to secure three programs for her child this spring.
“I actually ended up logging in late as well, and I still managed to get the three classes, but that’s because I already had it saved, so I didn’t have to go look through the list and figure out which community centres are closest to her school to make it easier to bring her from there,” she said.
In addition to the wish list, Sarrafzadeh says the city introduced an Early Local Registration process, which allows residents living near recreation centres to register for high-demand programs one week before regular registration starts.
The city also offers aid for parents on how to register for programming, including How to Register for Recreation Programs, and online tutorials.
Sarrafzadeh also says the city regularly monitors demand for programs and offers more programming to meet community needs.
“The City continues to assess demand and service levels. Program offerings are regularly reviewed, and as resources allow, new program opportunities are introduced to meet community needs and interests,” he added.
“The City remains committed to improving how residents access recreation programming, including continual enhancements to the Registration and Booking system…We encourage families to use the available tools, prepare ahead of time, and reach out if they require assistance.”
Nevertheless, Duncan points out that there are still things she believes the city could do to improve the service and reduce pressure for parents, including incorporating registration at schools or considering going back to paper or phone registration.
“Maybe incorporating sign ups at school. I know back in the day, they used to do paper registration and paper, a mixture of paper and phone call registration. But again, that was still also at 7 a.m. If there was a capability of being able to drop off your registration paper and still be considered within time, [that] would be nice,” she added.
