Take time to consider child care this month
Keep pressure on government to ensure quality child care is available to parents throughout British Columbia
Burnaby NOW
May 23, 2009

It's ironic, but the best child care is the kind that a parent easily forgets about. When you know your child is safe, happy and enjoying their day, it's easy to carry on with your own tasks and duties without worry.

Sadly, far too few people have access to affordable, quality child care - and far too many people have to scramble, or take what they can get, whether it's quality care or not.

Without quality child care, children can't flourish; without access to reliable programs, parents may be forced to make decisions about their employment that impact the whole family.

… There's no doubt that early childhood educators are a dedicated bunch - it takes a hardy sort to spend the day playing, reading, helping, comforting, feeding and changing a roomful of children. Yet the work they do is often invisible, despite how critical it is.

If you have a committed, hard-working, dedicated child-care provider, take the time this month to let them know how much their hard work means.

If, on the other hand, you're struggling to find child care, trapped on wait lists and hoping for the best, take the time to remind the government that child care is important, that it can't be ignored and that no family should have to make decisions about their future based on a lack of spaces and funding.

At the end of the day, child care isn't just important today - it's the foundation of growth for future generations.