Child-care shortage hurts families, province
Times Colonist
By Chrissy Basok
November 19, 2010

Re: "Investing in children," Nov. 13.

I am an early childhood educator and believe that the shortage of affordable, quality childcare needs to be recognized not only by parents, but also by the public.

The issue also needs to be placed high on the government's priority list.

This is a significant factor in many B.C. families' lives. For one toddler (18-24 months) the rates for childcare can range anywhere from $750 to $1000 or more per month. Many parents/guardians can only find childcare that is far from their homes and places of work.

In addition, most centres do not give "family deals" if there are siblings in attendance, as there are many costs to providing quality care to young children.

Consider a single working parent who is making minimum wage ($8 an hour) and working 40 hours per week -- this translates into $1,280 per month.

Granted, there are some subsidies available if families qualify, but how is a family supposed to get beyond just surviving?

There is a great need for affordable, quality child care in this province. The government needs to step in and offer subsidies to more families and to care facilities.

The children of our province deserve quality care in their vital first six years. Quality early learning and care providers have specialized education to supplement and complement the parental roles and support the development of the whole child.