Childcare deserves recognition: Child care and early childhood development issues remain a concern in the North Okanagan.
Vernon Morning Star
By Cara Brady
May 20, 2010

Childcare means more than a safe place to leave children while parents work. It is a vital part of early learning, readiness for formal education and future success.

“People are becoming more aware of how important the early years are for brain development. It really starts before children are born, with a healthy pregnancy,” said Lynne Reside, Vernon coordinator, Early Childhood Development Coalition, who is also regional coordinator for Success by Six and Children First. ….

One way to help children is the Early Development Index (EDI) used in kindergarten to assess readiness and recommend ways to help children where it is needed. Reside is concerned that according to the EDI, one in four children in the province is not ready for kindergarten and said many factors contribute to children’s well being, including affordable housing and childcare, access to services, health care and recreation.

“The biggest factor is child poverty,” she said. “For the sixth year in a row, B.C. has the highest child poverty rate in Canada. Childcare issues affect everyone, whether they think it does or not, businesses and people who don’t have children. Our society needs these children to grow up healthy, happy and productive for their own good and that of everyone else.”

….We want our kids to be well cared for in their vulnerable years,” she said. “With 75 per cent of mothers in the paid work force, we need a provincial or federal government plan that will ensure adequate childcare.”

Another issue is that while child care professionals require at least two years of training and on-going training, they are not well paid and many leave the field.

“Parents pay the larger portion of childcare and we need more resources for parents than we used to have. The message is that childcare is early learning and is very important…. We can learn from what is being done in other countries,” said Reside….