BC Elections - here we come!

Nathan finally got a space in a licensed group day care centre, after 22 months on the waiting list! He would still be on the waiting list except that he got sibling priority (thankfully) because his sister got in. She got in because she'll be starting kindergarten in the fall and the new mixed age centres had spots for those turning 5 this year... and those spots were a little harder to fill than usual because those who started in January will only be there for 8 months before starting school.

Despite my luck in finally having my 2 kids in the type of care that works best for our family, I will continue to advocate for changes in our current child care system. What we have now, IS NOT WORKING!

I will be paying close attention to the party policies as they pertain to child care and education. A great website is the Coalition of Childcare Advocates of BC. From their website:

Let’s Not Forget!
During elections, candidates present their record and platform in the ‘best possible light’. Expect candidates for the current government to say they have done a great job. So, in this provincial election, let’s not forget that since 2001, child care in BC has been on a ‘roller coaster’ ride. Let’s not forget that the government’s child care record includes:

1. Eliminating the $7 a day school-aged child care program that provided 15,000 affordable, quality spaces for before and after school care.

2. Canceling the 4 year roll out plan for Child Care BC which would have extended affordable, regulated child care to children under the age of 5.

3. Cutting the provincial child care budget and only replacing it with federal dollars. BC’s own contribution to the 2009/10 child care budget is less than it was in 2001.

4. Reducing access to child care subsidies for low income families for a number of years.

5. Cutting operating funds tied to improving child care wages and replacing them with smaller, unaccountable, operating funds.

6. Reducing the budget for Child Care Resource and Referral Programs and keeping these important programs in a state of uncertainty for years.

7. Using federal transfer payments that could have built a child care system on one-time-only expenditures and initiatives that aren’t child care – like booster seats.

8. Staying silent as a new federal government cancelled its agreement with BC to transfer over $400 million dollars in child care, and then passing this cut on to families and providers.

9. Falsely dividing policy and funding for early learning (in the Ministry of Education) from olicy and funding for Child Care (in the Ministry for Children and Family Development).

10. Holding out the promise of All Day Kindergarten but backing away because of the cost.

Families, child care providers and communities know the results and understand the crisis:
• Child care fees are up, putting quality care out of reach for most families. [Note: I know single parents who cannot work because they cannot afford childcare. We will be paying $1825 per month for our two kids once Nathan starts at new centre - this is down $500 from what we are currently paying.]
• Wages are so low that many early childhood educators are leaving – creating a staffing crisis.
• Wait lists are years long; some programs have closed and others are threatened.

Next week, I will be attending my first meeting of the UBC Parent Day Care Council, as the representative for Nathan's new daycare centre. I look forward to joining them in their childcare advocacy work.

Final post before election day...

So after a long weekend away, I have not been able to post anything. I may have time to post some of the research I did tomorrow, but in case not...

I wanted to summarize for now with the info on this link... a report card for each of the parties on their child care policies.

Child Care - Conservatives

Conservative Platform 2008: Child Care

Their Record

• Cancelled agreements with Canadian provinces to fund the creation of affordable child care spaces for working families.
• Voted against Bill C303 (legislation to create a national child care initiative)
• Offered tax credits to private employers resulting in no new childcare spaces.
• Invested $250 million per year to assist provinces in creating new childcare spaces, but with no clear overall strategy or accountability for where the funding would go.
• $100 per month per child under 6 to families; taxable benefit in which working families receive the least amount of funding for childcare.
  

Funding Promises

• Continue with providing $100 per child under 6 taxable benefit
• 250 million per year to provinces
  

Plan Highlights

• EI Maternity and Parental benefits for self-employed individuals

Comments and Questions

The Conservative government claims that its strategy of $100 per child under 6 offers choice and options for parents. Considering the average cost of child care in some communities in Canada, I think the "benefit" offers neither choice nor options. If there are no spaces, there is no choice. Moreover, the fact that the benefit is taxable means that those who need the funding most for child care receive the least amount as a benefit. I'm not opposed to having funding for those who choose (or are fortunate enough to be able to choose) to have one parent at home full-time (or two part-time, etc.). However, I am always highly suspicious of any government who starts handing out cash as a solution to a problem that affects such a large portion of its population. Cash is not a solution. Social infrastructure and funding toward quality programs and innovative solutions is what we need.

Web Links - Child Care in Canada

If you want to learn more, check out these online resources:

www.advocacyforum.bc.ca
www.childcarecanada.org
www.buildchildcare.ca

Child Care Crisis in Canada

The Election

I have voted in every provincial and federal election in my adult life. In the past, I've based my votes on general party philosophies and beliefs as well as media-reported major election promises.

This year, however, I have decided to base my decision on the child care policies and plans of the four parties in my riding: Conservatives, Liberals, NDP and the Green Party. I have researched various aspects of the issue and will continue to learn more over the next week as I prepare to vote on October 14.

The Crisis

There is a child care crisis in Canada right now. This issue is important for those with children and those without. Good child care yields high economic and social returns for the entire country. A Canadian cost-benefit study calculated that every dollar invested in universal, high quality early chidhood education and care would result ina $2 social and economic return to our society (for study details, see references listed on page 3 of this document.)

Here are some of the statistics regarding child care in Canada:

837,923 Regulated child care spaces for children 0-12 in Canada in (2007)

17.2% Percentage of children 0-12 for whom there is a regulated space (2006)

19.3% Percent of children 0-5 for whom there is a regulated space (2006)

4,709,610 Number of children 0-12 years (2005)

3,050,800 Children 0-12 years with mothers in the paid labour force (2005)

Our Childcare Story

We are currently on a 2-3 year wait list for a quality child care centre in our community. Kayla will likely not get back into a daycare centre before she starts kindergarten. We took her out when I was on maternity/parental leave with Nathan because it did not make sense financially or otherwise to have her attending daycare when I was at home with Nathan. Once Kayla does start kindergarten, we will be faced with the challenge of finding quality half-day care. We just fired our nanny for incompetence - we were paying her $2000 per month plus benefits; at this rate, we could not find someone suitably qualified to care for our kids in our home. During our nanny search, we would schedule interviews where the candidates did not show up because they got jobs before coming to meet with us. It is not uncommon to see advertisements for nannies in the $18-20 per hour range; we cannot afford to pay this much.

We've been lucky to find a quality home-based daycare with someone who I've known for some time - I would not be comfortable leaving my children in the home of someone I did not already know. We will be paying $2265 per month for our two children to have care from 8 am - 5 pm - 5 days per week.

Questions to Ponder

• How do single parents afford to work and pay for child care? Does our current system encourage single parents to become depedant on social assistance?


• How is it that Canada is rated last out of 14 developed nations for spending on Early Childhood Education and Care? (according to a report by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

Stay tuned for information on the policies and plans of the Conservatives, Liberals, NDP and Green Party.