Child Care: Let’s make it happen – 2007

The Coalition of Child Care Advocates of BC (CCCABC) and the BC Government and Services Employees Union (BCGEU) have launched a joint 3-year project to support front line workers, families and communities to ‘make child care happen’.


What happened in 2007?

May 2007

May is Child Care Month and we are taking Advocacy on the road
The Coalition of Child Care Advocates of BC, the BC Government and Services Employees’ Union and the national Code Blue for Child Care Campaign, our national advocacy partners, are reclaiming Child Care Month with a tour of BC communities.

Child Care Month is the time to say that:

  • child care advocacy in BC is alive and well;
  • communities are standing together for child care like never before; and
  • child care will be an issue in every federal riding in BC in the next election.

Join Child Care Let’s Make it Happen Tour Events in Victoria, Duncan, Vernon, Castlegar, Prince Rupert, and Richmond (click on the city name to see the event poster).

Download the itinerary of the whole tour (PDF)

Download: What Can You Do Next? (PDF)

Download: A Child Care Vision that Works for BC: It is doable


April 2007:

BC Petition to restore full funding to Child Care Resource and Referral services and BC child care programs
Deadline: May 31, 2007
Download the petition

More cuts, Vancouver Information session
Thursday, April 12 – 6:30pm
Heritage Hall – 3102 Main Street, Vancouver
Info: 604-291-9611

Vancouver Child Care Resource is losing half of its provincial funding. Ten neighbourhood-based CCRR services that help families with referrals and subsidies, and give family child care providers training and business support, will be gone.

Download poster


March 2007:

Take Action by Bridging Our Communities for Child Care: March 31 in the lower mainland
SATURDAY, MARCH 31, 2007: Burrard Bridge, Vancouver
11am – 12:30pm, Gather at 11am at Seaforth Peace Flame Park (south end of bridge by Cornwall Ave.)

Calling parents, grandparents, early childhood educators and child care supporters to span the bridge sidewalks with signs and songs!

Show your support for BCGEU members at Westcoast Child Care Resources and other BC child care resource and referral centres where jobs and services are being cut by the Campbell government.

Working families need a universal, publicly-funded, affordable and accessible child care system, now.

Poster


February 2007:

Let’s Make it Happen — Town Hall Meeting
February 6, 2007, 7-9 pm, Richmond, BCGEU and CCCABC
Poster

Restore child care! Provincial press conference
February 5, 2007, 12:00pm
Calypso Room, Pacific Palisades Hotel, 1277 Robson St., Vancouver

mih_pressconf

BC’s fragile patchwork of child care services is in danger of collapsing, following the Campbell government’s most recent cuts.

Speakers included: Dr. Todd Kettner, Dads for Daycare
Toni Hoyland, President, Early Childhood Educators of BC
Deb Jarvis, Executive Director, Kootenay Kids Society
Rita Chudnovsky, Coalition of Child Care Advocates of BC
Mike Clarke, BCGEU Vice President and Chair, Child and Family Care Committee.


January 2007:

Kids Can’t Wait – BC’s Child Care Challenge, Global BC TV special half-hour show – January 26, 2007

As part of our joint “Child Care – Let’s Make It Happen” campaign, the
BCGEU is working with the Coalition of Child Care Advocates to plan and participate in a variety of upcoming activities to raise public awareness about the importance of quality child care, and the impact of government cuts to child care funding.

This includes the premiere screening of a half-hour TV program “Kids Can’t Wait”, Monday, February 26 at 7pm on Global BC TV.

“Kids Can’t Wait” is intended to help raise the level of public discussion about the need for affordable, accessible child care, and the ways we can achieve a quality early learning and child care system in BC. Interviews with parents, children, early childhood educators, child care operators, early learning experts and business leaders are featured.

Premiere screening parties will be held in communities around BC. To find out if one is being planned in your area, or if you’d like to organize a group screening on February 26, please contact Lorrie Burnell at the BCGEU 604-291-9611 or 1-800-663-1674.

Leaflet in colour [PDF]
Leaflet in black and white [PDF]