Child care workers should walk
Nelson Daily News
24 Jan 2007
Editorial -- By: Murray Kimber

Dear Editor

On January 5, 2007 B.C. Minister of State for Child Care Linda Reid announced massive cuts to child care and early learning in this province. Her letter was in response to the long known termination of the federal Early Learning and Child Care (ELCC) Agreement, which brought desperately needed funding to an ad hoc, uneven and chronically under funded child care system. Rolled out over 6 months, from April to October of this year, the cuts amount to a massive blunder that will gut the child care infrastructure.

B.C. will cut the operational grant (CCOF) it pays to licensed child care providers by an average of $40 per child per month. Child care centres will either close or raise parent fees. With fees already so high, further increases will make it difficult for many families with two working parents to both remain in the workforce, never mind the plight of single parent families.

Outright elimination is planned for the Child Care Resource and Referral (CCRR) program. CCRR staff offer crucial resources, support and training for day care providers. They are especially needed small communities like Nelson and area, because child care operators work in relative isolation, often from their own homes, and CCRR is designed to be mobile, carting around van loads of much needed toys and learning materials. They also ensure minimum standards are being met, and that children are safe and thriving.

If that's not enough the Ministry of Children and Family Development plans to use millions of tax dollars to buy out office and vehicle leases a scant year after directing CCRRs to open storefront locations, hire new staff and expand services. Even after the Ministry knew the ELCC funding was ending, they continued to direct CCRR staff to proceed with expansion. This is a double assault: a massive waste of our tax dollars used to close a program that will leave day care providers and parents with no support.

To me it amounts to clear evidence that this province has no plan for child care or even interest in forming one. B.C. invests less today in children than it did 3 years ago despite now having a massive provincial surplus. In the West Kootenays a recent sampling of 20 child care providers revealed a waiting list of 294 children - 15 children per centre on average. And that's just children signed up on a wait list.

After so many years of quietly taking it on the chin, child care providers should take job action province wide. The economy relies on a labour force; a significant component of the labour force relies on child care. I am certain there would be an impact if suddenly there was no child care anywhere for a day one week. Then for two days another week, then three days another week. The B.C. government behaves like it couldn't care less if there was no child care in this province. Care givers should show them what that would look like.