Letter: Sharon Gregson; The Delta Optimist

Re: ‘Junior Kindergarten’ school given the go ahead to develop vacant lot adjacent to 7-Eleven in Ladner, Aug. 3

I read with alarm the article on the expansion of so-called “Junior Kindergarten” into Ladner.

Core Education and Fine Arts (CEFA) is really high priced childcare with uniforms for toddlers. I wonder if taxpayers know that CEFA and other commercial, big-box, for-profit child care operations are able to access operating funds from the provincial government while they simultaneously charge higher than market fees in order to make a profit for shareholders and investors.

There is indeed a childcare crisis in B.C. with too few quality licensed spaces, poverty wages for workers and parent fees that have reached $1,915 per month per child.

But the solution is not going to be found in expanding commercial childcare. The solution is the $10/day Early Care & Learning Plan that has huge support from parents, grandparents, municipalities, school boards, community organizations and academics across B.C.

Quality affordable childcare services should not just be for the wealthy or the lucky.

Let’s make childcare an election issue in May 2013 and make sure working families can access the services they need for their children.