Where Is BC's Childcare Program? While government slowly ekes out a public plan for care of three and four-year-olds, advocates weigh in with a plan of their own.
By Katie Hyslop
Nov 8, 2010
TheTyee.ca

Premier Gordon Campbell's ill-received address on Oct. 27 dedicated just over three minutes to education, with only a fleeting reference to early childhood education: a promise of 100 new StrongStart centres in the province. But he was noticeably quiet about the long-awaited pre-kindergarten program for three and four-year-olds he promised two years ago.

Though popular with the Human Early Learning Partnership program at UBC, StrongStart programs are not full-day and require a parent or guardian to be present -- not an easy feat for working parents. In comparison, the three and four-year-old program seemed like a victory to childcare advocates who were pushing for wrap-around services with both full-time care and education for infants to 12-year-olds, taking pressure off parents who need to hold down a nine to five job just to keep afloat….

The Early Years Centre option

The Vancouver School Board is not the only organization worried about the lack of government plan for early childhood education. The ECEBC and its sister organization, the Coalition of Childcare Advocates of BC, is so concerned they developed their own proposal called the Emerging Plan for an Integrated System of Early Care and Learning in BC.

The plan outlines a strategy for creating infant-toddler and three and four-year-old Early Years Centres under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Education, staffed by trained ECEs, offering both part-time and full-time programs. Children in kindergarten and Grade 1 would see ECEs working with teachers in the classroom, with the option of full-day and full-year care for working parents at an "affordable fee." The plan emphasizes a low-cost to parents with caps on fees, as well as establishing set wage and training levels for ECEs, including recommending the creation of a bachelor of early childhood education degree, as well as a post-basic early childhood education specialty for teachers working with small children….

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