Ottawa urged to ease child-care crunch; Petition calling for universal child care makes rounds at Okanagan College
Penticton Herald
November 29, 2007
By: Scott Trudeau

Without a universal child-care system in Canada, many mothers face numerous challenges if they want post-secondary education.

On Wednesday, the health and dental co-ordinator for the Okanagan College Students' Union was seeking signatures on a petition at the college's Penticton campus to draw attention to the need for the federal government to implement universal child care.

Jolene Black said with spaces at a premium at day-care centres throughout the country, and a wait of one to two years, one of the first things a mother should do after conception is put herself on a waiting list for child care. In doing so, a mother could attend a post-secondary institution without having to worry about finding a child-care provider.

Black said promises by the federal government for universal child care date back to 1984, under former prime minister Brian Mulroney, and through the government of former prime minister Jean Chrétien….

."We'd like to see more government funding to open up more spaces," Black said, adding that while Harper gives parents an additional $100 each month for child care, it falls short of his promise to actually create more spaces.

A mother receiving financial help through government-supported, back-to-school programs in connection with employment insurance has only a limited time frame within which to qualify to receive funding, said Black.

Without the support base a universal child-care system could provide, Black said mothers use smaller neighbourhood day-care centres with only a couple of children, where their child may end up plunked in front of a TV and have little interaction with children his or her own age.

As crucial as it is to find space for a child, equally important is for that child to be under the care and supervision of someone who can provide structure and guidance to a young mind.

Black said one mother attending the Kelowna campus brought her child to class while she wrote an exam because there was no one available to look after her child.

Graduates of the early childhood education program may also struggle to make a living while attempting to pay back their student loans.

Black said with a wage that sits at about $11.25 per hour, some child-care workers have opted to seek higher-paying jobs, perpetuating the need for properly trained people working in the child-care field.

She is hoping signatures gathered on the petition, including those from campuses in Kelowna and Salmon Arm, will help to garner the government's support in passing Bill C-303 during its third reading in the new year….