Workers lobby against cutbacks
Burnaby Now
March 7, 2007
By: Mia Thomas

Amber Keane got up early to head to Oakridge mall in Vancouver last month, boarding one of three buses heading to Victoria that day.

The buses were carrying child-care workers who wanted to make a point to the provincial government in general and Linda Reid, Minister of State for Child Care, in particular.

"The main goal was to go to the legislature to express to the government, especially Linda Reid, that these cuts they just announced, how it affects everybody: teachers, parents as well as the kids," said Keane afterwards. Keane is an early childhood educator with BACI, the Burnaby Association for Community Inclusion.

As with many other day-care centres, they have two-year wait-lists for all ages and are struggling financially.

Before it fell in the June 2004 federal election, the Liberal government came up with a plan, based on what's available in Quebec, to spend $5 billion over the following five years setting up 250,000 child-care spaces across the country.

But then the Liberals lost the election and the Conser-vatives formed government, coming up with a new plan: parents would get $100 a month for each child less than six years old.

The loss of federal funding for day cares hurts financially, Keane said, but the provincial government could have stepped up to the plate.

Instead it announced towards the end of February that the most recent provincial budget would cut slightly more than $100 million from early childhood development funding, child care and support for children with special needs.

"The federal government's lack of support is troubling, but the provincial government's lack of support is just as bad," Keane said, explaining that they are already operating close to the bone. "Day-care societies just slide by as it is."

B.C.'s day-care centres will probably have to raise fees to cover shortfalls, Keane said, hitting parents who often have to both work to make ends meet. "They could go up again to compensate for all other cuts that are being done," she said. "Of course the children and families will suffer.

"Most places have started charging between $50 and $100 more, so there's extra money that's going to be missing."

Parents are not the only ones who feel the financial pain.

"It affects all day cares and staff," Keane said. The fees keep going up and child-care workers' wages keep going down. The gap keeps getting bigger." There is an irony that, as day-care fees rise and staff wages drop, those working in the field couldn't pay for day care for their own children.

Keane used to work as a makeup artist in a store before she switched to early childhood education.

"If I'd continued with that, I'd be making $10 more (hourly) than working one-on-one with a little boy with special needs," she said.

"As a day-care worker, I've been in the field for about nine years now and I'm making less than I've ever made."

The salary of someone working in the early childhood education field is not merely not keeping pace with inflation - it's in a downward spiral. Keane is currently earning $14.32 an hour.

"I knew I would take a bit of a pay cut, but it goes lower and lower every year," Keane said. "The wages we make are going lower instead of higher." It's at the point that working with early childhood education isn't viable as a career unless it's bringing in a household's second income or is supplemented by something else.

"The staff wages are so low that people can't afford to stay in the field," Keane said. "Most of my co-workers work two jobs, they get paid so little." Child-care centres across the province closed for a day on Feb. 14 so that staff could take part in protests. Those who could went to Victoria. Others went to gatherings in their region - the one here was in Vancouver, at city hall, Keane said.

Those who took a day off work to take a message to the provincial government, protesting the proposed cuts, were enthused about their mission, she said.

The buses were full and the ferry ride was part of the mission.

"There was an excellent turnout, especially on the ferry. It was really good, everybody was excited, making posters."

Keane isn't sure that the government heard them, but the public and media did, she said, and she hopes their point was made.

"There was a really good turnout and we made lots of news," Keane noted. "We'll have to see if it was a success, if they decide to change their minds and put more money back into early child education."

"It's important for our community to have quality child care."