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.