Child care needs support
Burnaby Now
May 02, 2009
By: Tanis Sawtell, Burnaby

Dear Editor:

With the provincial election looming over us, I just wanted to bring up a topic that hasn't been discussed much lately when it come to election issues. I fully understand that the economy is probably uppermost in people's minds, but I would like to bring up the issue of child care and how the current government is failing to support B.C.'s children and families.

The government continually refers to how much money they have put into child care, but they neglect to mention how much they took away in 2001.

They talk about the number of child-care spaces they have created, but they don't tell you how many daycares have shut down due to lack of government funding and how waitlists are increasingly getting longer. The fact is that the Liberals are not financially supporting child care, and the proof is in the pudding.

I have worked in child care for the past 15 years, and these are the facts from the daycare where I work. In the seven years from 1994 to 2001 (as far back as I can find stats), when the NDP was in power, parent fees went up 7.5 per cent and early childhood educator's wages went up 19 per cent.

However, in the last seven years with the Liberal government in power (2001 to 2008), parent fees have increased 30 per cent and early childhood educator wages have only increased a dismal 2.3 per cent (and our MLA's gave themselves a 29 per cent raise a couple of years ago).

Parents and child-care workers are the ones keeping child care afloat in this province, not the Liberal government, and we do need to keep child care going if we want to retain a strong economy. So if you are a parent or planning to be one, or you just want to support an accessible and affordable quality child-care system, then I would encourage you to do whatever you can to let those running for the next government know that you want them investing more money in B.C.'s children. Write letters, go to all-candidates meetings and question those running in your riding and attend rallies supporting child care. Make your voice for child care be heard.