The Ontario legislature passed the Full-Day Early Learning Statute Law Amendment Act, 2010. The legislation includes a number of amendments, including clarifying the roles of teachers and early childhood educators in full-day early learning classrooms.
“Full-day early learning is a key part of the government’s Open Ontario plan to strengthen education in Ontario. It will increase student achievement, build a stronger workforce and help break the cycle of poverty.”
TORONTO /CNW Telbec/ – Parents and early childhood educators are being asked to keep the Pascal vision alive by insisting the Ontario government adopt the full plan for education and child care reform presented by its early learning advisor.
“Charles Pascal’s report was the best thing to hit education in two decades,” Annie Kidder of the parent organization, People for Education told a Queen’s Park press conference today. “But the Ontario government’s fragmented approach to implementation is jeopardizing its own strategy,” she said.
“Choosing to put in place only part of one recommendation in the report – full day learning for four and five year olds, operating on school days only – doesn’t meet the child care needs of families and leaves child care operators to ponder their continued viability,” she said.
Some of the problems lie with Bill 242 which amends the Education Act allowing school boards to operate full day learning and care programs.
“The failure to require school boards to operate the program year round and the government’s silence on how the needs of children under 3 years old and those 6-12 will be met is creating anxiety for parents and unanswered questions for school boards, municipalities and child care operators,” said Zeenat Janmohamed, a faculty member in Department of Early Childhood and Community Services at George Brown College.
In response some school boards have lobbied to have childcare agencies continue to operate before and after school activities. Advocates say this would effectively dismantle Pascal’s approach for a single, seamless, continuum of programming for children from birth to age 12.
“The Pascal report attacked the fragmentation that has two parallel programs serving the same children, while other children receive no service at all. Allowing school boards to contract out a portion of the program entrenches the fragmentation,” Janmohamed said. “Children will continue to bounce between different operators and early childhood educators will be divided between those who have good full time jobs working in schools and those who work part time in daycare topping and tailing the school day.”
Janmohamed urged educators and parents to stay the course and demand the comprehensive early learning system developed by the Premier’s early advisor. “Maintaining the $63-million in the recent Budget is good start to stabilizing child care. The government now needs to take the next steps and help child care programs refocus on younger children and support school boards to expand their approach to families. There is no shortage of children who need early learning and care but we need to make smart decisions about who does what and how to best maximize our investments in children,” she said.
Private Members’ Motions
Morning Sitting, Volume 12, Number 6
MOTION 6 — GOVERNMENT ACTION ON POVERTY REDUCTION
EXCERPT ONLY
S. Simpson: I move the following motion.
Be it resolved that this House discuss and debate that the BC Government should immediately develop a comprehensive poverty reduction strategy….
[L. Reid in the chair.]
At the last estimate there are about a half a million British Columbians today who live in poverty based on the federal standard, the low-income cutoff. Of those, about 140,000 are children. I would also point out that these are 2007 numbers, the last year that these statistics were available for. ….
What we know is that more than half of the people who live in poverty in this province today have a full-time income coming into their homes, but because of the levels of minimum wage, because of the levels of those incomes, people continue to live in poverty….
The cost of poverty is substantial. …
The other thing we know, when we look at British Columbia and the situation here, is that the National Council of Welfare, a federal non-profit organization that advises the federal government on issues related to welfare, has looked at this question of poverty across the country.
When they looked across the country, they determined that eight provinces in this country have succeeded in reducing their poverty rates…. “Eight provinces reached record low poverty rates in 2007. Only Ontario and British Columbia did not.”
This report also showed that no matter what standard you use, British Columbia has the highest poverty rates and has continually had the highest poverty rates in Canada, based on the work of the National Council of Welfare. They look at that whether it be the low-income cutoff or using the market basket measure. No matter which measurement you use, British Columbia has the highest levels of poverty in this country….
It’s time for us in this province to move forward, to put a poverty reduction strategy in place, to join the six other provinces in this country that are moving ahead with poverty reduction strategies — provinces from across the political spectrum. It’s time that we had a comprehensive plan that deals with housing, with child care, with training and with income levels….
N. Simons: I am pleased to add my support to the motion presented by my colleague calling for the government to establish a comprehensive child poverty reduction plan with targets and timelines, achievable outcomes, measurable outcomes so that we can look at the success or failure of the programs that we’re engaged in.
Now, we often hear about the statistics — how many children, what it represents, how many families live in poverty — and we really should remind ourselves that it’s not just a statistic. We’re talking about little children …if they happen to be living in poverty, they can see that their government has done nothing to address that in any comprehensive way.
The members opposite speak of various programs. Some of them are good programs. Most of the ones mentioned have been significantly cut recently. They all are programs that have been in place in one way or another for the past six years, yet we see six years of being the first in this country in terms of child poverty….
What is it that this government has against a comprehensive plan when it comes to addressing child poverty? Why is it? Is it because their failures are going to be enumerated for the public to see? Perhaps.
But I think that the goal at the end of the day is more important than this government saving face on their failure. It’s about children — children who are going to school hungry, children who are going to school unable to be properly supported in that environment, children who are going to school without access to programs that other children have because their parents don’t have the extra cost, with clothing and nutrition below the standard. We know what those outcomes are….
M. Elmore: I am very pleased to rise and speak in favour of my colleague calling for the province to adopt and implement a poverty reduction strategy. …
I just want to address one aspect in terms of…. Okay, how do we gauge and how do we measure the levels of poverty in the province? One of the measures is conducted by a study by the human early learning partnership at UBC measuring the rates of vulnerability in students, particularly their readiness going into kindergarten — the vulnerability rates. The study concluded that there is a rate of 29 percent of vulnerability in young children entering kindergarten — that they actually weren’t ready in terms of all the developmental aspects to be able to fully participate in kindergarten.
That’s certainly a concern, and the target laid out by the government is for a 15-by-15 — to lower the vulnerability rate to 15 percent by 2015. That’s certainly a worthy goal.
…. I want to address two main issues: one, to reduce poverty for those children and families who experience that vulnerability, early vulnerability problems, by ensuring that our investment in early childhood development, early learning and child care — that there is a comprehensive system that families can access, a system that provides for child care spaces and quality early learning, and parents can feel comfortable leaving their kids there.
In particular, I think what the shortage is in B.C. is the need for working families to have access to these spaces and for families, working parents, particularly working mothers who disproportionately are in the records of experiencing the highest poverty rates…. The support for those families in terms of being able to access the workforce and being able to support their families — that’s a necessity.
The benefits, as well, in terms of a comprehensive investment in early learning…. The scale that the report talks about is a significant investment of several billion dollars a year. The benefits would be to support children at these early years, zero to six — has found that those are the critical years in terms of optimal investment and development for children in terms of their psychological, social and intellectual development to enable them to really progress through school, to graduate and to be successful as well in pursue post-secondary studies, and that that is the best start in life.
It’s a benefit not only to children and support for families, but there is also a benefit to our economy in terms of increased productivity with that investment in those kids and the concept of investing in human capital or investing in people. Those early years are a fundamental window in terms of when government public policy can be most effective. So in terms of a comprehensive early learning and child care system, that’s important.
Providing that support not only for working families but also in terms of public policy to increase the maternity and also paternity leaves for parents to spend more quality time with their families….
I think those are the aspects that are important. I speak in favour of a universal, accessible, affordable and quality child care system. … We actually rank lowest in terms of our investment in early child care and early learning relative to the other OECD countries. So relative to the western industrialized countries, I think we have a long way to go.
In terms of who we’re talking about — families, particularly disproportionately affected by poverty; children; aboriginal children, aboriginal families; new immigrants; families who have children with disabilities…. These are the families, I think, that we need to target. We need to support and enable them and enable these kids — certainly the future of our province — the best start.
D. Thorne: It’s truly a pleasure for me to rise today and support the poverty reduction plan motion. …
These are the priority areas, with targets and timelines of two years, four years, six years, ten years — so simple, so easy: provide adequate and accessible income support for the non-employed; improve the earnings and working conditions of those in the low-wage workforce — and we all know that’s the lowest-wage workforce in Canada again this year, year after year after year, to our shame and to my personal disgust; improve food security for low-income individuals and families; address homelessness; adopt a comprehensive, affordable housing and supportive housing plan.
I don’t mean willy-nilly. … “We’ll do something here; we’ll do something there.” They mean a plan — targets and timelines and measurable outcomes.
No. 5: provide universal, publicly afforded child care. Now, Madam Speaker, I’m going to stop on that one because I know that the Speaker herself is very interested in this topic, and I know that the member from West Vancouver talks about the great gains that have been made in child care.
Well, I’d like to quote, from 2007, the B.C. Chamber of Commerce — not a known official opposition group, as we all know — which says: “B.C. has chosen not to prioritize child care. The cost of this decision is having an enormous negative-quality impact on the ability of B.C. business to both attract women, young families and skilled workers in general to the workforce.”
So the B.C. Chamber of Commerce doesn’t agree with the government of British Columbia that they have prioritized child care, and they’re obviously very concerned about it in terms of the economy, something I believe the government believes it has a bit of a halo around, unlike…. You know, they say that we couldn’t run a peanut stand. Well, I’m beginning to think the shoe should be on the other foot….
I’d just like to finish with one comment by the Premier’s own Progress Board, the ninth report, which ranked B.C. eighth out of ten for social condition. It’s eight out of ten — dropped two places from sixth-place ranking the year before — on the social condition measure that’s based on the percentage of families with incomes below the after-tax low-income cutoff and on birth rates, personal property crime, etc.
This is the government’s own Progress Board. If you can’t listen to the opposition, if you can’t listen to the 299 hands-on workers who know the people we’re talking about, for goodness’ sake, I expect this government to listen to the progress report that they appointed.
Federal funding under the Early Learning and Child Care Agreement ended in 2006-07 with a final bulk payment of $253 million to the province. Ontario elected to spread that funding out over four years, with the money coming to an end this year.
Federation of Canadian Municipalities
Canada’s social safety net is fraying, cities strain to fill the gaps says new report from FCM
OTTAWA, March 24 /CNW Telbec/ – The federal and provincial retreat from traditional social transfers in the 1990s has frayed Canada’s social safety net, and cities are now struggling to fill the growing gaps.
That trend, exacerbated by the current recession and growing urbanization, is the principal finding of a new report from the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM), entitled Mending Canada’s Frayed Social Safety Net: The role of municipal governments. This is the sixth report in a series looking at quality-of-life issues and indicators in Canada’s urban centres.
“We have a new class of working poor in our country; waiting lists for affordable housing that keep getting longer; and people struggling to get to work and find childcare,” said FCM President, Mayor Basil Stewart of Summerside, P.E.I. “More and more, the only things giving these people a fighting chance are the services provided by municipal governments.”
In addition to direct social services, such as affordable housing, emergency shelters, and subsidized childcare, municipal governments deliver public services that help millions of Canadians earn a living and raise their families, like public transit, recreation programs and libraries.
The report looks at the changing face of poverty and the growing reliance on municipal social services for many vulnerable groups in the 24 urban communities that make up FCM’s Quality of Life Reporting System. According to the report, cities are doing what they can to fill the gaps created by federal and provincial program cuts but their limited resources have meant difficult trade-offs.
“Often we have no choice but to rob Peter to pay Paul; deferring investments in roads or water treatment to pay for affordable housing,” says Stewart.
Municipal finances are not robust enough to continue supporting these added responsibilities without help, adds Stewart.
“Not only do we have to make do with just eight cents out of every tax dollar collected, but our forced reliance on the property tax means that we often have to tax the very people we’re trying to help. This challenge is only going to get bigger as cities and towns continue to grow, attracting the lion’s share of our new immigrants.”
Mr. Stewart says the report’s findings support FCM’s call for continued federal support for cities.
“New growth, the recession, and the legacy of the 1990s have changed Canada and are taking a huge toll at street-level. We can’t go on pretending the system isn’t broken. All governments–and all political parties–need to acknowledge the problem and they need to respond.”
News article summarizes some of the facts:
Report: Canadian cities struggle with social services
Grassroots Women
For nearly 100 years, March 8th International Women’s Day, has been an occasion for women around the world to come together, to take to the streets, to raise our voices, to remember our history and to forge our future. Here in Vancouver, Grassroots Women has carried on this tradition for the past 13 years, and invites all women, children and men to join this year’s event.
International Women’s Day March and Rally
Monday March 8th, 2010
5:00 p.m.
Location: Victory Square (E. Hastings and Cambie streets, downtown Vancouver)
Join Grassroots Women to mark this important day in the resistance of working class women around the world.
Spread the word!
Judy Rebick, Rabble
International Women’s Day 2010, forty years after the Report of the Royal Commission on the Status of Women. A generation has passed, my generation. In some ways, there has been a revolution in the status of women since that time. ….
In the end, my conclusion is that the inter-locking systems of patriarchy, colonialism and capitalism will maintain the oppression of women. There is only so far we can go without challenging all of them. That’s why I am thrilled to see the women’s movement become more global, more diverse, more radical and more integrated into other movements for social and environmental change. Even if in the short time, we are less effective in making change, in the long term the change will be deeper and broader.
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Federal budget child-care tax break causes new headache for feds
By Heather Scoffield (CP)
March 9, 2010
OTTAWA — The federal budget’s key anti-poverty measure cures one headache and causes another.
Changes to the tax treatment of the $100-a-month Universal Child Care Benefit to help single-parent families “will create new inequities,” says the Caledon Institute of Social Policy, an Ottawa-based think-tank known for its work on social security.
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Reactions and Responses:
Staying the course: highlights of a no-surprise budget
CBC, March 4, 2010
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Jobs of tomorrow, challenge for today
March 8, 2010
By Karina Roman, CBC
… David Macdonald, an economist with the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA), argues an environment in which jobs are created requires investment in social programs such as education, transit, health and childcare.
“Businesses want well-trained employees. Businesses want their employees to get to work on time and not be stuck in rush hour traffic. And they want access to more employees because [those] employees can get child care.”
Macdonald also says that kind of social spending is just as good at creating jobs as is building bridges and roads.
“What’s interesting is that social infrastructure in terms of ranking on job creation, ranks at the same level as physical infrastructure. So whether you’re paying a child care worker to provide subsidized daycare for a single mother, or whether you’re paying a manufacturing person to go out and run some rail line for light transit, the same number of jobs are created.”
And Macdonald says that both social and physical infrastructure spending ranks much higher than taxes in terms of number of jobs created….
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Conservatives put oil companies before kids
by: New Democratic Party of Canada | Mar 6th, 2010
Canadaviews.ca
OTTAWA –Stephen Harper has made it clear that he plans to once again put oil companies before Canadian children, says New Democrat Children and Childcare Critic Olivia Chow (Trinity—Spadina).
“Yesterday’s budget clearly demonstrates where Stephen Harper’s priorities lie. Billions in corporate tax cuts for oil companies while childcare and childhood nutrition are ignored,” says Chow.
“With no new dollars for early childhood education or child care, this budget continues to fail our children and working parents,” says Chow. “Among OECD countries, Canada is already ranked last for its lack of investment in child care. Harper’s Conservatives are unfortunately continuing with this irresponsible policy of neglecting our children.”…
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CUPE Budget 2010 Fact Sheets:
Responses to the BC Budget
BCGEU: BC Liberal budget lacks long-term vision
Strong social services are key to economic recovery
Mar 2 ’10
BC Liberals’ proposed 2010 budget does nothing to support vital community services and lacks the kind of long-term planning that would ensure a broad-based economic rebound says B.C. Government and Service Employees’ Union…
“And while the few new subsidy dollars for child care are welcome, there is simply not enough money here to improve access to quality care.”
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BC Federation of Labour: Budget ignores jobs crisis and provides no vision for a better BC
March 2, 2010
With no help for children living in poverty, reductions to student aid and continued layoffs and cutbacks in public services, Colin Hansen’s budget fails to address the critical issues facing British Columbians.
“The success of the Olympics cannot hide the fact BC is still in the grips of a deep economic recession,” says B.C. Federation of Labour President, Jim Sinclair. “BC is still losing jobs, 4,200 full-time jobs in January alone, yet there is nothing in this budget that will protect or create jobs. Worse still, budget cuts to public services and chronic underfunding will lead to even more jobs losses and delay our economic recovery.”
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BCTF: New budget delivers more uncertainty and instability for public education
March 2, 2010
BC Liberals’ latest budget will lead to more instability and uncertainty for BC schools as downloaded costs continue to outpace government funding, BCTF President Irene Lanzinger said today.
“The government wants British Columbians to believe they are protecting education, but students, parents, and teachers should brace for more cuts,” said Lanzinger. “More schools will close, there will be more overcrowded classes, and teachers will be laid off. The government continues to be in complete denial about its role in education cuts.”
The government claims that there’s enough funding to meet the needs of BC’s public education system, but the small amount of new funding is far exceeded by rising costs. The government is asking school districts to use the small funding lift to fund salary increases and full-day Kindergarten. However, there is no new funding to deal with rising transportation and heating costs. The government also refused to fund MSP and pension increases.
“The math just doesn’t add up,” said Lanzinger. “The government is playing a shell game and it is BC’s students who are going to lose.”
Lanzinger also raised serious concerns about the government’s inability to manage BC’s public education system. In September, the government threw school districts into disarray by cancelling the $110 million in Annual Facilities Grants. The government also transferred CommunityLink funding for inner-city schools to BC’s gaming grants program. That decision forced millions of dollars of cuts to arts and sports programs. Both cuts have now been partially reversed but the instability the government caused will never be reversed.
“This government has no long-term plan to improve classroom conditions for students. There’s no plan to improve class sizes or support for students with special needs, and there is no plan to prevent school closures.”
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CUPE: Liberals further the divide in B.C. with 2010 Budget
VICTORIA—With its first post-Olympics budget, the BC Liberal government is worsening economic polarization and providing little relief to rural communities suffering from the economic crisis, says the Canadian Union of Public Employees.
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BC Association of Social Workers: BC Budget 2010
In spite of increased demands for child welfare services the Ministry of Children and Family Development will receive an increase of only 1.2%in 2010, with no increases in 2011 and 2012…
Evidence-based social and public policy research has a well established baseline for predicting healthy outcomes and measures of a healthy society. These include: income, unemployment/employment and food security; employment and working conditions; housing; access to health care and a social safety net; early childhood and educational opportunities and experiences; gender and equality issues and social inclusion….
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CCPA
…Funding increases in education and social services are small, barely keeping up with inflation and the increased downloaded costs. There are some additional funds for full-day kindergarten, and an additional $26 million over three years on child care subsidies for low and middle income families, but no new operating funding to enhance the accessibility of child care spaces.
By Julie Fortier, Financial Post/Vancouver Sun
OTTAWA — Although the recession may technically be over in Canada, many households sank even further into debt in 2009, creating the highest debt-to-income ratio ever seen in Canada, according to The Vanier Institute of the Family’s annual assessment on the Current State of Canadian Family Finances released Tuesday….
“The effects of this recession will test the resilience of many Canadian families. While the stock market may be up, the improvement for families will lag behind in terms of employment, increases in income, and a return of net worth,” Clarence Lochhead, the Institute’s executive director said in a statement.
The Institute’s report also indicated 59 per cent of respondents said they would be in trouble if their paycheque was delayed by even a week, even though 70 per cent of women with young children and a working spouse said they were working outside the home….
Eric Mang, Rabble.ca
…. How we can have quality child care
First, we have to be willing to raise taxes. If we want strong social services, if we desire that “discussion on social justice”, we must be prepared to spend money. We simply cannot have Scandinavian social services on American taxes….
The Liberals must collaborate with the NDP and establish and legislate a national child care system under legislation.
Until we put the dollars and policies in place, Canada will continue to fail its children and consequently imperil its future.
EXCERPT:
New Support for Families with Children
….Strengthening families is at the centre of our economic and social agenda. Government will take steps to renew and revitalize education, to assist families with children and to secure affordable health care for our grandchildren.
Education improvements will focus on the individual and unique needs of our children.
New research gives us a clear view of a way ahead that will provide for the special gifts and special needs of every child in the province.
Early childhood development creates brighter prospects for all our children.
As we help children discover their passions and interests, so we will find our future as a province.
StrongStart BC Centres will continue to support the learning needs of children and their families.
Voluntary, full time kindergarten for five year olds will begin this September.
It will be fully funded and in every school by September 2011.
New partnerships with the private sector and parents will enable the establishment of neighbourhood preschools for four year olds and three year olds within communities over the next five years.
They will provide families new voluntary options for public and private preschool across B.C.
Several other initiatives will improve services for children and families….
Government recognizes that families with children face additional costs….
There are few services that can do more to lift a child to the full opportunities of life than an unequivocally great education. That is our goal for all the children of British Columbia.
Several significant reforms will be advanced to modernize our education system for the 21st Century.
New emphasis will be placed on parental involvement and on tailoring our education system to each child’s individual needs, interests and passions.
New forms of schooling will be developed to provide greater choice and diversity, centered on students’ special interests and talents.
Smarter approaches will allow more resources to be focused on students’ learning needs while less is spent on administrative costs.
In concert with local governments, Neighbourhood Learning Centres will integrate neighborhood needs with available capital resources and under utilized spaces.
Seven day a week facilities management is fundamental to providing critical community services that meet the needs of B.C.’s families affordably….
Ongoing financial discipline is essential.
It is the responsibility of all in this house to guide our economy and our public finances back to balance.
Balancing our budget is more than a financial imperative. It is a social imperative as well…
We must curtail expectations of government and look for new ways of meeting our needs within the substantial spending increases already provided….
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Related news articles:
Government delivers throne speech
VICTORIA/CKNW AM 980
Sean Leslie
2/9/2010
The Campbell government’s latest Throne Speech delivered by Lieutenant-Governor Stephen Point is promising to capitalize on BC’s Olympic momentum to create jobs and better support families with children.
But as usual, the speech is long on ideas and short on specifics.
…. On the education front, government says new forms of schooling will provide greater choice and diversity, centre on students’ special interests and talents.
The speech repeats a promise to begin all day kindergarten this fall; and new partnerships with the private sector will establish neighbourhood preschools across BC over the next five years .
There is a new emphasis to be placed on “parental involvement” in the education system.
The government is promising “innovation” in health support services, new hospitals and public-private partnerships to give patients new choices….
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Families are priority in throne speech
Victoria Times Colonist
February 9, 2010
By Les Leyne
Faced with a handful of options on where to put the government’s emphasis, the B.C. Liberals have made the fairly safe choice: Kids.
There was a range of action items in .. throne speech involving First Nations, green energy and smarter government, but the Liberals hope the real crowd-pleasers will be the vaguely outlined new initiatives for families. Most of the high-impact new ideas centre around either educating children, keeping them occupied or putting a roof over their heads.
It looks like the steady drumbeat of concern about the number of children living in poverty in B.C. — the highest percentage in Canada over the past several years according to surveys — has finally focused the government’s attention.
The Liberals haven’t gone so far as to mount an official anti-poverty campaign, as many provinces have done, and as the representative for children and youth has urged them to do. Joining that crusade would involve acknowledging that the last eight years of Liberal government have left some people far behind. …
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James Slams Throne Speech
By 250 News
February 09, 2010
Victoria, B.C. – The Provincial New Democrats are not happy with the Speech from the Throne.
“Today B.C. is facing significant challenges, including heavy job losses, persistent child poverty rates and an extended recession in which families are struggling to make ends meet. Not only did the Liberals fail to mention these challenges in the Throne Speech, they failed to put forward a plan to address them,” says New Democrat Leader Carole James .
James added that the Throne Speech signals B.C. is in for even deeper cuts and tough times to come.
The Canadian Chamber of Commerce has adopted a resolution urging the federal government, in cooperation with provinces, territories and other stakeholders, to fund and assist in the creation of a provincially-delivered early childhood development program.
On its web site the Chamber says it’s, “the most influential business association in Canada – the national leader of public policy advocacy on national and international business issues and is focused on fostering a strong, competitive economic environment that benefits Canada and improves the standard of living of all Canadians”
Judy Rebick, Rabble.ca
When I heard that Stephen Harper was suddenly taken with a desire to promote maternal health as the key issue for the G8, I have to admit to being perplexed. I don’t think I’ve ever heard Harper talk about women’s issues. Behind the scenes his government, which of course means him, has not only cut funding to most women’s groups and the most progressive NGOs like Alternatives and Kairos but have eliminated the word “equality” from their women’s bureau. Harper is no doubt that most anti-feminist PM we have ever had….
RELATED:
Harper should focus on Canada if he wants to better child health: Inuit leader
The Canadian Press
By Bob Weber (CP)
Jan 29, 2010
Northern leaders say Prime Minister Stephen Harper should look to the Arctic if he wants to improve the health of newborn children.
“We’re hopeful he’ll tackle this issue in his own backyard,” Pita Aatami, head of Makivik Corp. which oversees the land claim of Inuit in Quebec, said Friday.
“If you’re going to talk the talk, you might as well practise it in your own country.”…..
Championing moms and babes
Globe and Mail BC edition
Letter By Nonie Lyon
Jan. 29, 2010
I can hardly wait for Parliament to reconvene to see the proposals Stephen Harper’s government will have for the women and children of Canada, as, surely, he will want to lead by example. He’ll want to tackle high infant mortality rates in our first nations communities, the plight of working mothers who can’t afford decent daycare and the lack of affordable housing for those who live below the poverty line, even though many hold jobs. It will be wonderful to have these and so many other issues that impact Canadian women and children addressed by our newly compassionate Prime Minister.
Why indeed
Letter to editor by Marjaleena Repo
Globe and Mail
Saskatoon —Feb. 01, 2010
A Prime Minister whose government and party hasn’t lifted a finger to make pregnancy, birth and childrearing any easier for women in Canada – for instance, by promoting and providing midwives, easier access to abortion and affordable child care – can hardly be taken seriously when he promises to treat women elsewhere differently
ctvtoronto.ca
An Ontario education activist says the province is “redefining preschool” by implementing early childhood education research into a full-day program — a move aimed at giving young students a head start in learning life and relationship skills.
Annie Kidder, executive director of the group People for Education, said the program is an improved version of what’s already available in other parts of the country.
“The vision for Ontario is something different,” she said. “(It’s a) combination of taking everything we know about early childhood education and childcare.”
Kidder said the province has considered leading literacy research and studies into early childhood education when they formed the $1.5-billion program.
The program will give about 35,000 junior and senior kindergarten students a full day in the classroom as opposed to the part-time schedule that’s currently available for kids in that age range.
Starting in September 2010, about 580 schools will offer the full-day experience.
“Hopefully, it’s not just about leaving them in one place,” said Kidder. “Our vision is for a full-day, one-year experience for younger children that is part of a larger structure where education is one piece and childcare is another piece.”….
The classes will be run by a teacher and an early childhood education professional. Each class will have about 26 children enrolled. Parents will also have the option of enrolling their kids into extra after-school programming with an early-childhood educator for a fee.
Public child care pays off
VANCOUVER – Child care workers, parents, and activists were at the Vancouver Public Library last night to talk about how to improve child care, as part of a cross country tour organized by the Canadian Union of Public Employees.
A panel of academics, community activists and child care advocates brought facts and figures along with a lot of passion to the call for Canada’s governments to move to a publicly funded and delivered system of early childhood care and education.
The more than 70 participants were buoyed by the UVic board of governors decision earlier in the day to back away from a proposal to expand child care capacity at the university by contracting with big box corporation Kids & Co. CUPE 951 president Doug Sprenger, whose local represents UVic child care workers, gave credit to the board for listening to the opposition on campus and in the community. “The UVic board of governors made the right decision. But a shortage of quality spaces remains and we will be focusing on getting adequate public funding to expand the high quality child care programs at UVic.”
CUPE BC president Barry O’Neill, opened the forum saying “the most important thing we have to work for is our future, our children and our grandchildren.” O’Neill, who has a passion for community initiatives and economic development, said that child care is not only the right thing to do, it is a great investment.”
Adrienne Montani, provincial coordinator for First Call, painted a powerful picture of the sorry state of child poverty in B.C. She presented data from the Campaign 2000 report that was released on November 24, showing that B.C. continues its six year record of having the highest child poverty rate in Canada. Universal child care, said Montani, would make a “huge difference” in the lives of poor children.
Speaking for the Child Care Advocacy Association of Canada and from her experience with the Coalition of Child Care Advocates of BC Susan Harney described the situation facing B.C. children as “shameful.” She urged advocates to be forceful in putting forward a vision for a publicly funded child care system.
Keynote speaker Susan Prentice said that child care is an urgent social justice issue. “Yet it is instead becoming an area in which commercial interests are operating. Child care needs to be taken out of the buyer-beware market,” she said. Sharing some of the key findings and recommendations of About Canada: Childcare, which she co-authored with Martha Friendly, Prentice put forward strong arguments for a publicly funded and delivered system.
Prentice described Canada’s non-profit child care sector as a “popcorn model” – where child care will pop up if parents can come together and find the time and resources to try to meet their child care needs. “The patchwork result is flawed, as it relies on already-stretched parents and voluntary groups to set up and maintain non-profit centres. While these programs have been the backbone of child care, they are unable to properly plan or provide services everywhere the need exists,” said Prentice.
Prentice noted that Canada is experiencing a surge in private, for-profit child care. She referred to the recent proposal for Kids & Co. at the University of Victoria as an increasingly common example of what is happening.
“The numbers clearly show that public child care more than pays for itself through measurable social, educational, health and economic benefits to children, families and society. Delivering spaces through local public bodies like school boards or municipalities responds to community needs, is affordable and offers high quality,” said Prentice.
Jamie Kass, a member of CUPE’s child care action working group, put the evening in context – saying that there is a good deal of support for action towards public funding and delivery from child care workers, parents and unions in communities across Canada.
The evening moderator, Randi Gurholt-Seary, shared stories and kept the information-packed meeting on track. A number of questions and comments from the audience indicated interest in continuing to work towards public delivery of child care.
The Canadian Union of Public Employees has organized the tour, which brings together community activists, parents, academics, child care workers and union members, to push for action on child care.
Official report of Debates of the Legislative Assembly
Afternoon Sitting, Volume 6, Number 7
Children and Family Development Ministry budget priorities — Funding for infant development program
M. Karagianis: Well, Dorothy Gazzola, whose daughter has Down syndrome, says that the infant development coordinators — a program this government just cut — were a godsend. She said that they were integral to the development of her special needs child. Yet this government cut those coordinators, insisting that it was a cut to administration.
So my question again to the minister: shouldn’t the minister start at the top rather than going down and hurting those most vulnerable as the first line of attack?
Hon. M. Polak: The member well knows, because we’ve canvassed this before, that both the infant development program and the supported child development program continue uninterrupted, and that the administrative and coordinating functions that were represented by the provincial advisor’s office will now be provided through the ministry regional offices — again, consistent with the multi-year plan that we are still continuing with to decentralize according to what Mr. Ted Hughes recommended in his well-known report.
J. Kwan: Well, that’s not what the front-line workers say. April Kennedy at Sheway and her colleague work with young infants and pregnant women with substance misuse challenges. She and her co-worker provide developmental screenings, assessments and support to group parents. They rely heavily on the information provided to them by the advisers in the infant and Aboriginal Infant Development Program of B.C. so that the high-risk infants and their families have a better chance to succeed in life. Currently they have a caseload of 80 infants, and approximately 70 percent are identified as aboriginal.
To the minister again: is the chance to succeed for 80 high-risk children not worth $300,000?
Hon. M. Polak: I will advise the member that the infant development program maintains the same budget that it began with — $18 million this year, an all-time high — and supported child development has seen an increase in funding from $37.7 million in ’04-05 to an all-time high now of $57 million this year.
These are hugely valuable programs, but they’re part of a complex array of supports that we provide to children and families around the province. As we shift to decentralize, I want to remind the members of something that Mr. Hughes said in his report — decentralization “allows for a closer match of services and programs to the unique needs of widely dispersed…communities.” And that’s what we are going to provide….
J. Kwan: You know, from the front-line workers’ point of view, they take a different point of view than this minister. They say that training and current information on relevant trends and changes in early intervention are an essential part of providing quality services to the heavy at-risk caseload.
The infant development office has helped over 80,000 parents at the cost of $300,000. That’s $3.75 per family….
J. Kwan: Why is it that this government can find half a billion dollars for a retractable roof, and they cannot find $300,000 to support front-line workers working with high-risk infants of 18 months or younger?
Hon. M. Polak: I will repeat this for the member. There are no reductions in service in infant development programs. There are no reductions in service in supported child development programs. In fact, both programs are being funded at an all-time high….
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Thursday, November 5, 2009, Afternoon Sitting – EXCERPTS
ESTIMATES: MINISTRY OF CHILDREN AND FAMILY DEVELOPMENT
[DRAFT TRANSCRIPT]
M. Elmore: I’ll be asking some questions on the topic of child care. I guess my first question to the minister is: can you just outline for me the budget allocated for child care?
Hon. M. Polak: The budget for child care is about $300 million this year. That’s an increase of about $8 million.
M. Elmore: Would I be able to get a breakdown of the different components of the budget …..
[1555]
Hon. M. Polak:
… I’ll start with early childhood development, because that actually isn’t included in that $300 million. That amounts to $23 million. In terms of child care subsidy, which is a part of the $300 million, that’s $148 million. The child care operating funding is $65 million, and the supported child development funding is $57 million.
M. Elmore: Thank you, Minister.
…. I understand we are still receiving funds from the federal government for child care. It should be $33 million that’s been promised for the last couple of years, and continuing as well. Does the minister have a breakdown for those funds as well?
Hon. M. Polak: For ’09-10 we received from the federal government… $33.61 million. That breaks down as follows. Some $14.35 million goes to subsidy, $9.16 million goes to the operating funding, $9.3 million goes to resource and referral, $160,000 goes to major capital, $200,000 goes to child care operations and administration, and $440,000 goes to supported child development.
M. Elmore: …Can you tell me…? It says here in the service plan that for 2007-08 the total number of ministry-funded licensed child care spaces was 87,538, that the actual for 2008-09 was 92,751 and that the target for 2009-2010 is 91,000.
… it appears that there’s a drop — the numbers from 2008-09 of 92,751 to a drop for the 2009-10 target of 91,000. That also carries through to ’10-11, a static target, as well as to ’11-12 for those spaces.
[1600]
Hon. M. Polak: In part, this is because it isn’t the ministry that actually creates spaces — right? It’s the sector out there that creates the spaces. When they do, we provide them funding.
We are anticipating that due to the fact that we are not providing a major capital budget for this year, we will not see an increase in spaces. We are on track to meet that 91,000-space target, and essentially, the performance measures targets are consistent with what we anticipate in terms of year-over-year growth and looking at the historical trends.
…Since ’01 the major capital funding that we’ve provided has actually enabled us to create or to assist in creating more than 6,500 spaces in that time period.
We are not at this time, given the current economic circumstance, able to provide a major capital funding program. Nevertheless, we are at a very high level in terms of the numbers when compared to past years, and we expect that to remain consistent and not see a reduction.
M. Elmore: Minister, can you tell me: what is the budget line for the minor capital grants and what percentage of the budget that makes up?
Hon. M. Polak: The amount allocated for minor capital this year is $500,000.
M. Elmore: What was the amount for minor capital grants last year, last budget?
Hon. M. Polak: It was $1.2 million.
M. Elmore: So my question is with the reduction. Maybe you can talk about the reduction in the minor capital grant program. Certainly, I’ve heard a number of concerns come forward, and a number of facilities talked to me about the difficulties that they’re facing trying to meet the needs of maintaining their facilities in terms of meeting the provincial regulations that they are required to. ….
M. Elmore: Does the minister have a percentage of the cut that that represents to the overall child care budget, just as a reference?
Hon. M. Polak: It represents approximately $700,000 less out of that $300 million budget, which is, to my mind, although I have to say it’s late in the day, and my brain is tired…. I think it’s less than half a percent.
M. Elmore: I’ve got correspondence, and I’m sure the minister and the staff have heard from a number of facilities that are experiencing hardship, certainly, in recognition that the minor capital grants are not for major renovations but just for the upkeep, for minor repairs.
I have a report from the Esprit child care centre in Gibsons. I can forward this on if you haven’t received it as well.
The Esprit child care centre in Gibsons is an on-site child care centre at Elphinstone Secondary School. The repairs that they have done there are by the school district maintenance staff. They say that they’re having a hard time making the necessary changes and minor repairs to their facility to meet the regulations. Due to the cut, they are experiencing hardship. That’s a report from that care centre in Gibsons.
I also have a submission from the Quignas day care. They talk also about the hardship of the reduction in the grant. They take a little bit more of a historical view. The coordinator there has been working in the field since 1979 and has seen that very little has improved.
[1610]
They characterize the cut to the minor capital grant as a money grab from the child care field, putting undue hardship on the facility trying to meet the regulations and make the necessary changes, and the reductions in the child care grant…. Actually, they would have to pass those fees on to parents, and they would be forced to offset the costs of making the necessary upgrades. That would be translated into higher parent costs.
That’s certainly the story I’ve been hearing and painting in terms of the situation of child care here in British Columbia.
Number one, it represents such a small percentage of the overall budget. Also, in context of the lack of investment in major capital, one component of a sustainable child care system is the necessity to invest in infrastructure, not only in major capital funding but in terms of the minor capital, in making those necessary upgrades. It’s an important aspect of our child care system, and it’s to meet the provincial regulations that they’re required to do that.
Child care facilities are reporting that it’s putting a hardship on them. They have to make these changes, these upgrades, and it’s resulting in having to transfer those costs onto parents. They’re having to raise their fees, and that’s a concern from child care providers.
Since I’ve been talking to and meeting with a number of child care providers, I’ve been struck by their concern in terms of wanting to offer quality service to kids and also for parents and families. That also is quite touching in terms of their commitment to the field. They take it very seriously — providing quality child care. ….
M. Elmore: …. The reason is… I have a letter from the Windermere Valley Child Care Society. They’re running a non-profit child care centre, and they’re finding that the financial issues they’re being faced with…. They’re running a deficit over the years, so it’s accumulating, and it’s insufficient to cover their costs. From this letter, the parents are receiving the brunt of the shortfall. Some families can handle it, but some can’t.
I would just like to be able to report back to the letters that have come in to me, in terms of some relief for these facilities that are providing child care and their efforts to meet the provincial regulations.
[1625]
Hon. M. Polak: The child care operating fund is provided to agencies at a rate of about 12 to 14 percent of what it’s costing to them to run their facility. You can add to that the subsidy that’s provided for low-income families, which is up to the full amount of what they are charging.
The money that comes through CCOF is no-strings-attached money. If they chose to, they could certainly make an internal decision to have moneys like that go to minor capital.
These are private agencies, and it is up to them to manage their budget appropriately and determine whether or not they have other places they could look to within their budget, whether those are administrative efficiencies or other actions they may decide not to take this year. Again, that’s over to them as a private agency.
Our decision was based on difficult economic times and on our desire to protect what we felt was the highest priority, and that was the operating fund and also the subsidy. Certainly, we would love to be able to not have to make any of those decisions. Nevertheless, we were able to see our spending on child care increase this year by $8 million in the midst of some very difficult economic times.
Unfortunately, we’re not able to maintain funding for everything that we do, but we felt that the priority should be on maintaining the CCOF and the subsidy for low- and moderate-income families.
M. Elmore: I’d just like to have on record that a number of child care providers have expressed that it will have quite an impact on them and their ability to make the necessary renovations and improvements to meet the regulations, and that they’ll have to pass those costs on to the families.
I was wondering if I could just go back. You gave me the current number for this budget — $300 million for child care. Do you also have the numbers for ’10-11 and ’11-12 projected for the child care? ….
M. Elmore: It’s a math question again. Just in terms of the overall MCFD budget, the investment of $300 million in child care — what does that represent in percent of that budget and in percent of the overall budget just roughly?
Hon. M. Polak: It’s about 21 percent of our overall budget.
M. Elmore: Could the minister explain to me the trend in the subsidy allocation? I notice that it’s about half of the current budget.
[1630]
Hon. M. Polak: Last year we spent about $144 million, and this year we’ll spend $148.2 million.
M. Elmore: The subsidies — I recognize that they comprise nearly half of the overall child care budget. I have a submission from the B.C. Government and Service Employees Union in terms of subsidies — that subsidies are simply giving money to individuals. It’s not a substitute for quality child care, and just pouring money into child care subsidies doesn’t address the need for more spaces in the province. There is a need for spaces, and also the issue of affordability.
If I can just hear the minister’s response on that.
Hon. M. Polak: In fact, the ability of this province…. I shouldn’t say the ability. The decision of this province to provide for subsidy as a significant portion of this funding is what provides parents with choices that they don’t have in other places. Our province is the only province that allows parents to be subsidized for in-home day care, which they may choose to have.
We believe that affording parents that choice is an important thing. It’s also important to note that most provinces have a hybrid model of funding, where there is some money going to subsidize and some money going to daily operating funding. ….
M. Elmore: I’ve been hearing reports about the long wait-lists that parents have in terms of trying to get their infants, toddlers or young children into day care spaces and just the lack of spaces that are available.
The question to the minister is about…. Certainly not contradicting the role that subsidies play, but in terms that subsidies don’t address the need to alleviate wait-lists and to provide spaces for much-needed child care spaces….
[1635]
Hon. M. Polak: It is unfortunately difficult to assess wait-lists coming from day care centres or child care centres, because in very many instances it is most common for parents to register in a number of different day care centres. ….For our purposes, though, we have certainly been great contributors to the creation of spaces. …
M. Elmore: The minister has raised the challenge of determining what is…. We know the current number of spaces that are provided. Certainly I hear, and child care providers tell me, that there are huge wait-lists. They characterize it as a system in crisis. There are not adequate spaces to accommodate the requests, and affordability is also a challenge.
So the question becomes: is the ministry looking at ways to actually document and quantify what the wait-list is in the community to be able to better inform plans going forward in terms of addressing the needs for child care spaces?
Hon. M. Polak: We don’t plan for where child care spaces should be or how many there should be. What we do is provide funding to those that are created. I believe the number right now is 4,800 providers throughout the province. That makes it, as you can imagine, being that they are private agencies, difficult to track exactly what is going on in each community.
Nevertheless, our role is in providing support through not only the child care operating fund but also through subsidy. It is the private sector’s role to create those spaces, and we respond with funding support when they do. ….
[1640]
M. Elmore: Besides these facilities, I’ve also had meetings up at UBC and at SFU with their child care facilities there. They’ve reported to me that their wait-list is also in excess of the hundreds and also many years’ wait-list.
The problem — it’s a little bit of a different constituency in terms of the needs of students and families pursuing their graduate and post-doc and post-graduate work at these institutions — is that besides the faculty and staff, the students also need that support. If they’re young parents and have small kids, they need to access child care to have that support in terms of pursuing their educational programs.
I was just wondering if you’re aware of the backlog and the wait-lists at UBC and SFU in terms of the requests for spaces and the needs for that. ….
[1645]
M. Elmore: I also met with the UBC alma mater. Did they raise to you the wait-lists and the need for spaces and the wait times? Did they give you an indication of that?
Hon. M. Polak: Yes, they did. ….Again, we understand they’re experiencing issues around demand — high demand for their programs. But that is an opportunity, hopefully, for someone to see the need and then decide that they wish to invest in creating child care spaces, which we then would be funding through our child care operating fund, should they qualify, which we would expect they would.
M. Elmore: Certainly, responses for the need, the pressing need, for more spaces out at UBC and also a number of other post-secondary institutions.
The need there, as well as the need for more spaces — which I’ve been hearing in terms of the wait-lists — is support for young families, particularly young mothers. It’s not as much as in past years. You know, there is shared parenting of parents — mothers and fathers — but certainly it often falls to the mother.
One of the aspects, as well, that I heard is that the lack of child care spaces, particularly at UBC and SFU, is resulting in a barrier for young women who are seeking to complete their degrees and pursue their education, their academic careers. It’s a barrier in terms of pursuing their academic work. So that’s one of the impacts of lack of spaces at post-secondary institutions.
Also, in the community, it’s young families and often the working mothers who face the greatest challenge of needing to find reliable child care for their kids when they’re trying to work and also support their family. So if the minister could speak to that. …
[1650]
I’m concerned, and I think it’s really too bad that we’re not seeing the creation of more spaces this year and that it hasn’t been projected into the plan. So if the minister could speak to that.
[1655]
Hon. M. Polak: The role of the private sector is to create spaces. They do that. We are there to support them with operating funding, which provides stability to the system — maintains the existing spaces. …. Although the target for this year is 91,000 spaces, that doesn’t necessarily mean that there might not be providers who come along in the interim and build or open new spaces. If they were to do that, then we would be providing them, as well, with child care operating funding. But, again, that is not the role that the ministry plays. We do support spaces at times when we have finances to run and operate a major capital budget, and we have done that over the years to the tune of 6,500 spaces since 2001. ….
M. Elmore: I think that the dependence on the private sector can be identified as one of the problems in terms of relying solely on the private sector to create child care spaces. If you look at it in terms of quality child care assistance that is offered in other jurisdictions, other countries, market-based models have not been shown to deliver the spaces because the profit margin is small. Also, the other problem is that it tends to drive up costs — costs that comes out in terms of fees for parents. Also, it drives down wages in terms of wages to the child care providers.
[H. Bloy in the chair.]
I think that maybe exists as a philosophical difference in terms of the role of government supporting child care and, also, regarding it as an investment to create child care spaces and to identify child care as a public service that’s offered and benefits society as a whole. We reap those benefits for providing universal, affordable and accessible child care for all citizens regardless of their ability to pay and according to need.
Maybe the minister can speak to that. ….
M. Elmore: Recognizing that I’ve heard and it’s been characterized as a crisis in the child care system — the lack of spaces, the long wait-lists for parents, to get into facilities — another issue that has also been raised consistently is the issue of affordability and the rising costs of child care.
I have a letter, a submission from a family who was on a wait-list for over three years in the West End. The child care costs are continuing to rise, and it’s out of the reach of many families, even with the subsidies. They quote here the cost of child care. It’s recorded now that child care costs are the second-highest expense for a family after they’re paying for their home, shelter.
One is a lawyer, and the other works at UBC. Their fees are $1,290 a month, which works out to $23,500 gross net income. Those are the fees they are having to pay, in addition to the high wait-list. That’s the situation. It’s very grave for families and young families. I think I’d characterize them as desperate in terms of needing to find places to look after their kids while they’re going to school. There’s a need for more spaces in our system.
If I can just ask the minister to comment on what she heard in terms of affordability of child care for families here in B.C.
Hon. M. Polak: Certainly, we recognize that affordability is a challenge. ….Again, back to our priorities, they were chosen based on the recognition that affordability is a significant challenge for parents out there. ….
M. Elmore: I understand that the minister isn’t prepared to take a stand on this pressing issue that’s of concern, pretty much, to the entire child care providers and advocates and organizations in B.C.
I have another question in terms of the early childhood educators. One of the concerns, certainly, is ensuring that these professionals, who are very dedicated to their careers, are able to make a living wage in their profession. Often we see that there is downward pressure on wages in terms of trying to meet affordability for parents. I’m wondering if the minister is in support of…. There’s a campaign calling for a living wage for early childhood educators, a $20 an hour wage. I’m wondering if the minister is in support of that.
Hon. M. Polak: The role of the ministry is to provide for financial support to day care providers. We do that through the child care operating fund. It is the providers who set the wages for their employees. It is not government who has a role to play in that. ….
M. Elmore: My next question is: is the minister interested in looking at adding a wage subsidy for early childhood educators as one of the line items — besides providing the subsidy and the operating funds and the minor grants and those different lines, adding a line in terms of supporting the wage subsidy for ECEs?
Hon. M. Polak: No, we have not considered a separate wage subsidy. …
M. Elmore: So I take it, then, that there isn’t a plan. We don’t have a comprehensive plan in government to expand child care. ….
It’s striking when I meet with a number of the advocates and people very passionate about child care and the need to have a comprehensive, universal, affordable, accessible child care plan. Many of them are women. When I sit down with them, they say that this has been a fight they’ve taken on when they themselves were young mothers. They had young children, and they were trying to find child care spaces for their kids. They say they can’t imagine, you know, 30 years later that now their kids have grown up, their kids have had kids, and they’re grandparents now, and they are still fighting for a comprehensive child care system.
I think it really speaks to the need for a plan, in terms of how to systematically address the needs and concerns that I know…. Certainly, many people in this room, if you’ve raised kids, are familiar with that and have heard about the need for a comprehensive, universal child care system. There is need for a plan to address that.
M. Elmore: Just to conclude my remarks, and then I’ll pass it off. Certainly, I’ve been hearing from parents and child care providers, reporting that parent fees are going up and wait-lists are growing across the province. Also, low wages for the child care providers, the early childhood educators, are forcing them to leave the field. A child care action plan that actually looks at implementing and addressing some of these issues in a systematic way is what is needed to move the burden of child care funding from user fees to public funding; to set targets and timelines for lowering and capping parent fees; and to raise wages to a fair wage, a living wage, for early childhood educators. Also, to promote building of community-owned spaces to meet everyone’s needs.
So that’s what I’ve been hearing, and I think those are the priorities that I’m hoping to see more commitment from the government on. Thank you very much.
RESPONSES
Early learning investment key to recovery
People for Education, Ontario Coalition for Better Child Care, and Association of Early Childhood Educators Ontario
QUEEN’S PARK, Oct. 27 /CNW/ – Today’s provincial government commitment to begin transforming early learning programs is a critical first step toward Ontario’s economic recovery and future prosperity, say public education and early learning advocates.
The announcement is a needed first step to implementing the transformative vision recommended last spring by the Premier’s early learning advisor Dr. Charles Pascal, which was widely applauded by parents, public educators and early learning providers.
“In these tough times it’s encouraging to see the government is sticking to a strategy that will be as good for families and children as it is for Ontario’s economic recovery,” says Annie Kidder, People for Education. “Early learning is one of the best stimulus investments a government can make to stem an economic downturn.
“Beginning the transformation of our schools into vibrant community hubs will pay off for generations to come. We must stick to the full vision laid out in the Pascal report, so that Ontario becomes a world leader in early learning innovation.”
Andrea Calver, Ontario Coalition for Better Child Care, says today’s announcement represents the first new provincial investment in early learning in about two decades.
“There is still a lot of work ahead to implement the Pascal blueprint but today’s commitment is a green light to municipalities, school boards and the early learning sector to move forward on making the vision a reality,” Calver says. “It’s time to get to work.”
“We are more than ready to partner with teachers to create a team-based approach to providing Ontario’s children the best full-day early learning experience possible,” says Diane Kashin, Association of Early Childhood Educators Ontario. “That’s the vision in the Pascal report and it’s one we’re committed to, because it’s best for children.”
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Ontario Federation of Labour
Oct 27, 2009
TORONTO –(Marketwire – Oct. 27, 2009) – “The implementation of full day kindergarten in Ontario schools is really welcome news,” says Wayne Samuelson, president of the Ontario Federation of Labour. “This program represents a truly important piece of the childcare puzzle.”
Today’s long awaited announcement on full day kindergarten is a major step toward the sort of seamless early learning strategy recommended by Dr. Charles Pascal in the Ontario government commissioned report With Our Best Future in Mind. The Pascal Report was widely praised by educators, parents and public policy experts for its vision using schools to create holistic, community-based early learning hubs for children from age 0-12.
“Full day learning will give four and five year old children a real leg up in early childhood development and education, which is great for the children and their families,” says Samuelson. “But this also presents new economic opportunities for many families struggling through tough times. It’s also a tremendously valuable source of direct economic stimulus to aid on the path to recovery.”
Knowing that their children will be well cared for on a full day basis will open new possibilities of full time employment and educational upgrading for many parents, especially mothers. Public policy experts and poverty reduction advocates have long recognized that investments in childcare and early learning will have a significant and long term impact in the fight against poverty.
“It’s important to remember though, that this only represents one piece of the puzzle. The government must now commit to fully implementing the rest of the recommendations in the Pascal Report. That means expanding programs to include all children in the 0-12 age range, and further investment to fully support transforming schools into vibrant hubs of their communities.”
“Especially in tough economic times, we need to recognize the difference between a real investment and a mere expenditure. Money spent on early education will result in more opportunities for children, more opportunities for parents, and more opportunity for the creation of good jobs. That’s a real investment in our future,” says Samuelson.
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Children Will Benefit From Government Decision on Early Learning
Elementary Teachers’ Federation Of Ontario
TORONTO, Oct. 27 /CNW/ – The model that the provincial government has chosen for full-day kindergarten – a teacher at the front of the classroom all day supported by an early childhood educator – is in the best interests of Ontario children, say Ontario teachers.
The government’s decision meets Ontarians’ expectations for full-day kindergarten. A recent Environics poll confirmed that parents and the public overwhelmingly favour the presence of a certified teacher in the classroom for a full day.
“We commend the government for its commitment to the welfare of young children. The decision took a lot of courage in today’s economic environment, but it will pay a lifetime of rewards, not only for children, but for our communities and the economy,” said Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario President Sam Hammond.
“Today’s announcement ensures that children and their parents will get the best educational program,” Hammond said.
“The kindergarten classroom is where children begin their journey in school. What they learn here sets the foundation for future success. Pairing a certified teacher with a trained early childhood educator will create the best learning environment for building that foundation.”
Certified teachers understand how to use play-based learning to develop children’s foundational skills and help them prepare for the more formal training that begins in grade 1. They understand the curriculum and how what happens in kindergarten is linked to learning in later primary grades. Many kindergarten teachers also have special training to help them understand how children learn and grow.
“Early childhood educators will bring a special set of skills and expertise to the kindergarten classroom. ETFO members look forward to their support to benefitting the learning of four- and five year-old children,” said Hammond.
Health Sciences Association of BC
VANCOUVER, Oct. 1 /CNW/ – Fresh on the heels of cutting funding for children with autism, the Ministry for Children and Family Development has abruptly cut off funding to the Infant Development Program’s provincial office.
“Why are the BC Liberals picking on kids with disabilities?” asked Reid Johnson, President of the Health Sciences Association of BC.
“First, the ministry announced it was cutting funding for autistic children by $3 million. Obviously, that wasn’t enough of a reduction in service to children with disabilities, so now they’re cutting $300,000 from a program that supports families with infants with developmental delays, leaving them on their own to figure out how to get needed services for their babies.
“Imagine for just a moment the emotional turmoil of having an infant with developmental disabilities, and not knowing where to turn to find the help your baby needs to give her a fighting chance. That’s just one service the IDP Provincial Office provides, and the Ministry for Children and Families is ripping that away from some of the most vulnerable people in our province,” Johnson said.
In addition to acting as a referral service for families, the IDP Provincial Office provides professional training and clinical support to the infant development program consultants around the province. Through the office, staff who work with families are also connected to a range of early childhood intervention information, resources, and services.
“This is a short-sighted, mean-spirited, and direct attack on families with children with disabilities,” Johnson said.
The Health Sciences Association of BC is the union that represents early childhood education specialists including infant development consultants who work with families to provide a range of services to help young children overcome developmental challenges.
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Letter from the Office of the Provincial Advisor, Supported Child Care
September 30, 2009
Media release from the Infant Development Program
September 30, 2009
For the first time in history, including during both of the World Wars, employed women in Canada now outnumber employed men, according to a CAW analysis of the annual unionization study by Statistics Canada released in time for Labour Day.
“This is an important milestone that leaves little doubt that women’s position in the labour market has dramatically changed since women first entered the workforce en masse,” said Julie White, CAW Director of Women’s Programs. “Across the country, women are making a critical contribution to the economy, their families and their communities.”
An average 7.123 million women and 6.963 million men were employed during the first half of 2009 … The larger numbers of women hold true for both the “under 25 years” and “25 years and over” age cohorts. The study does not look at labour force participation rates which would include all Canadians who are actively looking for employment.
… The Statistics Canada study also shows that the number of unionized women exceeds the number of unionized men, as has been the case since 2006.
There are comparatively more employed women in large part because so many men have lost their jobs during this economic crisis, particularly in the manufacturing and primary resource sectors. These men are now unemployed or forced into early retirement or self-employment. Without an industrial strategy for Canada, it is unclear how this employment will be recovered to any significant degree.
“This segregation of the labour force by gender has become increasingly significant with changes in the underlying structure of the Canadian economy,” said economist Marjorie Cohen.
“Since the first free-trade agreement with the US, and subsequently with NAFTA, the Canadian economy relies more heavily on exports, now at about 36% of GDP. Males dominate all of the export industries, and it these industries in the resource and manufacturing sectors that have been hardest hit by the economic crisis, resulting in a high level of male unemployment.
… The relative increase in women’s employment is also explained by gender ghettos. Women’s employment is concentrated in jobs like sales, clerical work, health care, education, hospitality and social services where much of the job growth has been happening.
“The jobs performed by women are also some of the lowest paid jobs in the labour market, often with minimal employment benefits and pensions, plagued by part-time work, erratic schedules and temporary contracts,” said White.
“If our economic recovery assumes a reliance on such jobs and if social supports like a national child care program remain a distant promise, then women’s lot cannot be said to have really improved greatly nor will it improve in the future.”
CAW’s summary of the Unionization study can be found at
http://www.caw.ca/en/7818.htm