Investing in kids
PIQUE Newsmagazine
April 1, 2009
By: C. Jewett DPAC Chair,Sea to Sky School District

I would like to express my support towards Ralph Forsyth and his exasperation regarding the daycare situation in Whistler and indeed the Province of B.C. Certainly any reduction in daycare spaces is extremely short sighted. The RMOW has a goal of retaining a high percentage of local workers and this will be impossible to achieve with the costs of employee housing and a lack of daycare spaces. Not many families can afford housing in Whistler or Pemberton with only one income and Squamish is becoming less affordable as well. This puts increased stress on families; parenting in shifts is not the answer.

B.C. has one of the highest child poverty statistics in the country. Quebec has created a universal daycare program which costs all families less than $10/day. It is true that the federal Conservatives destroyed the viability of daycare when they stripped direct spending towards childcare. When asked about the correlation between affordable, effective childcare and incarceration costs for Conservative policies regarding harsher crime penalties, MP John Weston drew a blank.

Studies have shown as much as a three-fold cost benefit in social spending when the money is spent on early childhood programs. Higher graduation rates are one benefit. …Canadian Association of Police Chiefs study reports: "79 of 100 people entering Canadian correctional facilities don't have their high school diploma." Universal daycare can equalize children's readiness for Kindergarten - a measured statistic, also an indicator for graduation. Presently, socio-economics are a better indicator. …

There has been a lot of focus on gang violence in the Lower Mainland, the only solution offered is increased jail time and more policing. Too bad the infamous … brothers didn't learn to play well with others at an early age! Helping families with affordable childcare and housing as well as improved education funding is the better way. The children entering Kindergarten this year will retire in 2074. We have a provincial election coming up; do you want bigger bridges or better kids?