Work. Family. Life.

Motion - Support for Early Childhood Centres (PEI)

MOTION
No. 41
Support for Early Childhood Centres
Honourable Olive Crane gives notice that tomorrow she will move, seconded by Jim Bagnall,

the following Motion:

WHEREAS 83% of Prince Edward Island women with children currently work outside of
their home;
AND WHEREAS current child care fees average $140 per week per child and $250 for
infants;
AND WHEREAS parents are facing at least a 30% increase in their costs for childcare
programs as a result of this Government’s policy;
AND WHEREAS this Government has promised a review of the early childhood
development programming in the province but it has not happened and no requests for
proposals to do this review have been undertaken;
AND WHEREAS it is anticipated that many child care centres will close down in the next
couple of years;
AND WHEREAS the Early Childhood Association of Prince Edward Island has expressed
concern for the hardships experienced by those who want to sustain a licenced facility with
certified staff;
AND WHEREAS November 21st is National Child Day;
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Members of this Legislative Assembly encourage
the Government to work collaboratively with all stakeholders to implement short and longterm
sustainability measures in response to the crisis facing early child care facilities across
the province;
THEREFORE BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that Government remain accountable to
Islanders and follow through with its promise of a review of early childhood development
programming;
AND THEREFORE BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Members of this Legislative
Assembly recognize the important contributions of the early childhood centre operators and
their hard-working and dedicated workers to the overall well-being of the children of Prince
Edward Island.

Signed by: Honourable Olive Crane

Signed by: Jim Bagnall
19 November 2009
2:12 p.m.

Child centres on brink, group says

Parents and early childhood educators rallied in front of Province House Thursday, giving out black ribbons to signify the imminent death of the early childhood sector if government doesn’t step in to help.

The sector has been in limbo ever since government announced last year it was moving kindergarten from day-care centres into the public school system in 2010. This move will mean a loss of almost $3 million to those centres, as well as a loss of over 100 early childhood educators (ECEs), who will also move to schools teaching kindergarten.

Without that core kindergarten funding, many centres — especially those in rural areas — will likely be forced to close.

That’s because the amount parents pay for child care is not enough to cover wages and operating costs, despite the relatively low wages paid to ECEs on P.E.I. Early childhood advocates have long been warning government of the imminent crisis facing the sector, but they have yet to have any firm commitment for financial help. So on Thursday, a group of about 50 parents, ECEs and children gathered at the legislature to bring the issue to the politicians.

via www.theguardian.pe.ca

Are they not worth it? Faces of Autism: Day of Action 2009

An Autism Awareness Rally is being held right now at the PEI Legislature by a group of passionate Island parents who have joined together to bring awareness to the challenges related to raising children affected by Autism.  An awareness campaign called  Faces of Autism: Day of Action 2009 has been developed. The group are calling on the Government of Prince Edward Island to implement a Provincial Autism Strategy to improve the services available to all individuals affected by Autism on PEI. In recent weeks the Faces of Autism Facebook Page has grown to in excess of 700 fans; so clearly there is increasing and strong support for Island families affected by Autism.

Prince Edward Island needs a comprehensive Autism Strategy today.

Black Ribbon Campaign - Is it really about children and families or the sector?

Today the Early Childhood Development Association of PEI are holding a Black Ribbon Campaign. 

The black ribbons signify the potential loss of early childhood centres due to significant funding cuts as a result of the transition of kindergarten delivery. The Black Ribbon Campaign is an effort to educate the public on the potential effects of this funding loss and to gain an immediate investment of hope from the province of PEI as an effort to sustain quality licensed programs.

In a letter (Download Dear_Early_Childhood_Educators_Campaign ) earlier this week to Educators, the Association stated:

• We need an immediate investment of hope as we transition our services. Specifically we request government’s immediate initial funding commitment to the following:

1. To maintain the 2.9 million dollars of provincial funding, previously committed to the kindergarten program, toward the licensed early childhood system;
2. To conduct an immediate review of the childcare subsidy system with a subsequent infusion of dollars to support families through the expected rise in rates that this transition will bring.

Of course; the sector should be supported in some very specific ways as the Government transitions to a school based Kindergarten delivery system. The PEI Government does need to address this issue; however they must do it very strategically and pay close attention to ensuring that ALL transition funding is directly connected to specific quality indicators with measurable outcomes.  That said, are the ECDA's requests really in the best interests of children and families or the sector?

Will the requested 2.9 million dollars replace the over one third of certified early childhood educators who will move to the school system with Kindergarten children?

What other options are there to support this major transition? 

How do you think the PEI government should be addressing this issue?

What say should Island parents have?

Should the transition decisions be based upon the needs of children and families or driven by the needs of the sector?

Today is Faces of Autism: Day of Action 2009

A group of passionate Island parents have joined together to bring awareness to the challenges related to raising children affected by Autism.  An awareness campaign called  Faces of Autism: Day of Action 2009 has been developed. The group are calling on the Government of Prince Edward Island to implement a Provincial Autism Strategy to improve the services available to all individuals affected by Autism on PEI. In recent weeks the Faces of Autism Facebook Page has grown to in excess of 700 fans; so clearly there is increasing and strong support for Island families affected by Autism.

Across PEI families have waited for assessments, waited for treatment, waited for training, waited for accountability and waited for a Provincial Autism Strategy. Autism affects 1 in 100 children now.  Enough talk. It is time for action.

An Autism Awareness Rally is being held TODAY at the PEI Legislature. Please lend your support by stopping by the Rally at 1pm.  For further information email facesofautism2009@gmail.com

Who: This is a family-led initiative, but anyone is welcome to join in support

What: Autism Awareness Rally

Why: To remind Government MLAs that children affected by autism deserve improved services.

Where: PEI Legislature, 165 Richmond Street

When: Thursday, November 19, 2009 from 1:00pm

No-Nos: No traffic disruption, no kids near traffic, no disorderly conduct, keep it non-partisan, law abiding, respectful & focused on Autism.

Moving to full day Kindergarten in PEI...well thought out? Perhaps not.

I am one of the biggest supporters of offering full day Kindergarten for children; however on PEI we are just beginning to feel the real ripples of this pending new reality for community based child care and early learning programs across the Island.  Sure it is good to offer enhanced early learning opportunities (Kindergarten) on a full day basis for five year olds - but is it worth it to do this if many child care and early learning centres are forced to close or become compromised due to a shortage of qualified staff? Unfortunately, this is going to happen as so many of the qualified teachers move into the school system along with the Kindergarten children.  Who is this good for...children, families or communities??

It is important to recognize that the Island has a long way to go in ensuring that all children have access to quality early learning experiences and care in their communities. There is a huge variation in quality from area to area. For this reason alone, the move to full day Kindergarten is of critical importance. It will level the playing field for many children.  That said, perhaps the move to implement full day Kindergarten so quickly is going to leave a wake of early learning devastation as it rolls out.  By removing so many qualified staff from the child care field so quickly there is little doubt that programs are going to be significantly compromised across the Island.  No amount of fast tracking of educators will make up for such a loss of experience all at once.  What will this mean for the field? What will it mean for quality? Even more importantly, what will this mean for the young children who are left in community based early learning and care programs. Perhaps many centres will close.  Perhaps only some will close. Perhaps only the lowest quality centres will close. However - here is the thing; what happens if the overall quality level of early learning and care is greatly reduced across the Island? Given the current variation in quality levels; any move that further compromises the quality of care is one that we should all be very worried about.  There is a very strong chance that this will happen.

Let's be clear - caring for young children takes passion, commitment and most of all a strong knowledge and education related to early learning and child development. This is not something that one can just pick up through a Passport to Employment type of program. Really...is this the way we are going to enhance quality on Prince Edward Island? This is NOT a solution; it is a band aid on already hemorrhaging system.  This is not anything that will enhance quality....perhaps it will  help to meet child-staff ratios - but, again, this is not a solution by any means.

So while the Provincial Government means well for the future of five year old children; I am concerned for all of the other younger children on the Island.  Who is thinking about their needs?  Surely there must be some consideration for these children....and I say children specifically as opposed to early learning operators.  I understand that there is a working group related to the early childhood sector as a result of Pat Mella's report.  Of course, there should be a group to discuss all of the issues that are going to impact child care programs.  However, is this group really going to be able to think broadly and strategically about the best interests of all young Island children when so much of their sector is under attack?

So, once again, I say this....

Prince Edward Island needs a comprehensive, broad based early childhood development strategy for all young children. 

One that is comprehensive both in scope and nature. A strategy that is actually supported and implemented by all of the partners; inlcluding the PEI government.  We need to dream big…the sky should be the limit for our children.  After all, they are our future.  If we don't invest now we will pay later; there is endless research to demonstrate this.  Such a strategy will need to be designed through comprehensive public consultation, research and planning.  This will take the leadership and support of all who are involved – those who work with children and families, operators, professional associations, government employees, the government as a whole and the individual MLA's, community members AND most importantly – PEI FAMILIES.  Flexibility and a willingness by ALL to put PEI children and families first will be the key to success….for both the Island and it's children.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++

From this morning's Guardian, here is an article by Teresa Wright.  It gives example of how one centre is going to be impacted by these pending changes to the system.  How many more programs will be impacted like this?  What will this mean for children and and families?  What about quality?

Magic Moments Childcare is the only licensed daycare in Tignish, but it may soon be forced to close now that its entire staff is moving into the public school system.
Tracy Doyle owns and operates Magic Moments. She said she doesn’t want to close the centre, but the trained early childhood educators she currently employs are leaving to teach kindergarten in the public system next year and she has little hope of attracting new replacements.
“Rural areas are much different,” Doyle said.
“It’s really difficult to recruit and retain early childhood educators who are trained.”
The pay she offers is not enough to bring trained educators as far west as Tignish, and raising rates is not an option, she said.
“Parents can only afford to pay so much because they only get so much pay in a rural area. It’s seasonal jobs, it’s high unemployment rates — there’s not a lot of money there to pay the staff what they deserve to get paid.”
That’s why Doyle believes she may have to close her doors.
With kindergarten moving into the public system next September and over 100 high-paying teaching jobs up for grabs, Doyle says she just can’t compete for trained early childhood educators. 
“They’re taking the best trained staff from us,” Doyle said.
“My biggest concern then is what’s going to happen to the quality of early childhood programs? I will not and I refuse to run and compromise quality care for children.”
Doyle is not alone.
Magic Moments is just one of several rural centres facing imminent closure unless government offers help to the sector, said Lynn Hogan, chair of the Early Learning Operators of P.E.I. (ELOPEI).
That will seriously jeopardize the ability for smaller communities to remain viable for working parents, she said.
“These rural areas, they could lose their early childcare centres,” Hogan said.
“What is left for these little communities?”
Hogan said early childhood operators are frustrated with the lack of planning for the sector before government announced the upcoming changes to kindergarten last year.
Operators are also frustrated at the lack of information about what will happen in 2010 and whether government will be supporting the industry in the future.
That has many operators in limbo, Hogan said.
“There are people who are just waiting to see what they’re going to do.”
ELOPEI wants government and the sector to develop a comprehensive child-care system to ensure everyone on P.E.I. has access to quality, affordable childcare.
Government is currently working with the sector on such a plan, but no final decisions have yet been made.
A number of working groups were set up as a result of Kindergarten Commissioner Pat Mella’s recommendations on the introduction of kindergarten in the public system, including one group dealing primarily with the early childhood sector.
As well, a financial impact analysis is currently being done to measure the financial implications of day cares losing kindergarten funding and teachers and what needs will exist in this sector in future.
But while the province and the working groups continue to study and debate the issue, operators like Doyle are facing some tough decisions.
“The chances are, if there’s no supports there and there’s no trained staff, I won’t compromise quality care — the option is I may be closing,” she said.
“It’s so sad because I put my heart and soul in this.”

PEI to offer full-day, mandatory Kindergaten within public school system in 2010

From PEI Government Press Release this morning:

Government Commits to Full-Day School-Based Kindergarten in 2010

Premier's Office

Prince Edward Island will offer a full-day public kindergarten program in Island schools in September 2010.

Following the release of the Public Kindergarten Commissioner’s report in Summerside today, Premier Robert Ghiz advised that Government has endorsed the direction of the report. Recommendations that require further analysis or consultation will be considered by groups of educator, parent and partner representatives.

Premier Ghiz commended Commissioner Pat Mella on an excellent report. “When we asked Ms. Mella to do this work, we had high expectations for the product she would deliver. As expected, she has produced a thoughtful and comprehensive report that addresses all the issues and is based on the most current research and extensive consultation,” said the Premier. “The Commissioner’s recommendations and research will be of tremendous assistance as we begin a new era of early learning that offers more opportunities for Island children to flourish and thrive.”

Government has approved the recommendation that kindergarten will be a full-day, mandatory program for the full school year.

Existing kindergarten teachers will be considered first for the new teaching positions in the school system.

Each kindergarten teacher will teach a maximum of 15 students.

The play-based curriculum that was recently developed by Island kindergarten educators will continue to be used. The curriculum is based on the philosophy that five-year-olds learn through play, and that they can best learn skills and concepts through active exploration, discovery and hands-on involvement.

Premier Ghiz said that while people are excited about moving kindergarten to schools, many are also concerned about the impact this will have on the early childhood sector. “Government understands the vital importance of early childhood education. We are committed to working closely with the sector to identify and address training needs. We are also prepared to fund a comprehensive review that will determine the short and long-term needs of the sector and policy direction to support a vibrant and sustainable early learning and child care system.”

Education and Early Childhood Development Minister Gerard Greenan said the many strengths of the existing kindergarten program will be retained. “The people who work with young children in our province have a great deal of specialized knowledge and they are extremely dedicated to children,” he said. “It will be our priority to preserve these strengths as we strive to make our excellent early learning services even better.”

A Kindergarten Transition Team and nine work groups will begin immediately to draft action plans in such areas as supports for students with special needs, teacher training programs and certification levels, and transition issues for early childhood centres.

Collaborative work groups include representatives of government, school boards, UPEI, Holland College, Collège Acadie, Early Childhood Development Association, Early Learning Operators of PEI, CUPE, PEI Teachers’ Federation, PEI Home and School Federation, Féderation des parents and Canadian Parents for French.

BACKGROUNDER

In April 2008 responsibility for early childhood was moved from the Department of Social Services and Seniors to the Department of Education to support the development of an integrated early learning and public school system.

• Also in April 2008 Government made a commitment in the Throne Speech to bring kindergarten into the school system following a thorough, careful, and sensitive consultation process.

• In May 2008 Premier Ghiz appointed Pat Mella as Public Kindergarten Commissioner with a mandate to recommend the orderly transition of kindergarten into the school system by 2010.

• In June 2008 the Commissioner began her consultations which included 25 visits to early childhood centres and schools; seven public meetings; and 17 consultations with early childhood operators and organizations, post-secondary institutions, unions, parent organizations, school board and department staff.

• In July 2008 changes to the age of kindergarten and school entry were made to allow more children to benefit from structured early learning environments.

• In the spring of 2009 Government announced plans to add the following space for kindergarten:

• four new classrooms at École François-Buote at a cost of $600,000

• 11 new kindergarten classrooms at Westwood Primary at a cost of $2.4 million

• a new $8.7 million grades 4-6 school at Glen Stewart Elementary which will allow the existing school to become a K-3 facility.

• Kindergarten enrolment in 2008-2009 was 1,480. It is expected to rise to 1,540 next year and level off to approximately 1,450 in 2010-2011.

• Of the 83 kindergarten programs now in place, 18 are located in English schools and six are located in French first language school community centres. In West Prince and Kings County, three-quarters of all children are served in kindergarten programs that are located in schools.

• In September 2008 PEI implemented a full integrated play-based kindergarten curriculum. Research strongly supports this curriculum because it responds to how children learn best at age 4 and 5. The PEI curriculum was developed by early childhood educators. It encompasses a full range of learning domains including early literacy and numeracy, social studies, science, creativity and health and physical development. It uses natural situations and play activities and does not separate learning experiences into subjects taught in isolation. Play is not simply what children do when the work is all done. Through play, children make sense of their world and who they are within it.

Parents for Choice & Quality launches fan page...please join us!

Parents for Choice and Quality Society (PEI) on Facebook

International Women's Day - March 8, 2009 - Info and Events

To mark International Women’s Day 2009, the Child Care Resource and Research Unit has updated their 2006 issue file on ECEC and Canadian women.

There are events happening around the world in honour of this important day.  For further information on an event that may be scheduled near you please click here.  As of today, there are 853 events registered in the event directory on the International Women's Day website.

On PEI, the Together in Courage Committee - International Women's Day is hosting this event -

Placing a cap on PEI child care spaces is about the needs of operators NOT children

Here is an exerpt from a story appeared in the Eastern Graphic last week -

"In addition to better subsidies for parents, Ms Brown said another solution could be to put a cap on the number of daycare centres that are allowed to open in a given area. “We’re kind of hoping the government will legislate something to put a cap that there’ll be no more centres open, at least until we’re full. There’s not much point having 20 centres and nobody full,” she said. “(Amalgamation of daycares in the area) would be impossible. Amanda’s got a mortgage to pay and I have a mortgage to pay. You can’t walk away from one mortgage and into another one if you open a bigger centre.” Mr Greenan is out of the province until the end of the week at a meeting of the Canadian Ministers of Education, but Jean Doherty, communications officer for the Department of Education, said the current legislation doesn’t allow for any such cap on the opening of new daycares. “If the provisions of the law are met, a licence has to be granted,” Ms Doherty said. “The parents want to have a choice and it’s a privately-delivered service.”

Hmmmmm.....why does this sound a little familiar?  Just over a year ago this issue arose and created quite a stir on the Island.  Many parents became passionate about the fact that there was the possibility that child care spaces might be capped.  A petition was created and a Facebook group was formed.  Blog posts were written and videos were even developed by Island parents in an effort to raise awareness about how important it is for families to have choice when it comes to early learning and child care programs on PEI. An informal group which we called Parents for Choice and Quality emerged to ensure that the needs of children and families were put BEFORE the needs of operators and the system. Collectively we became clear about the fact that we are for a system that puts children and families first and foremost. Today Parents for Choice & Quality is an incorporated non profit organization that works toward ensuring that all children and families have access to a comprehensive and coordinated range of high quality services that supports them in achieving their full potential.

So - let's just be clear on something here - placing a cap on the number of child care centres will protect child care operators NOT children.  Placing a cap on spaces is only about the needs of operators - it is NOT about the needs of children and families.  Placing a cap on spaces is absolutely NOT the way to enhance the level of quality of early learning environments on PEI.

Make sure you stay tuned to the debate. Listen to what child care operators are saying and challenge them if they talk about capping spaces. Parents, contact your MLA and let them know how important you feel it is to have choice when it comes to early learning programs on PEI. Don't let your right to choice be taken away. Tell your MLA that placing a cap on the number of spaces and child care facilities available in your area is not what is good for children and is not what is wanted by Island families!

In the News is a hit for Parents for Choice and Quality

Earlier this week April and I launched the new In The News section on the Parents for Choice and Quality site. We have received a good number of hits to the site since the launch and we are working hard to keep updating the content on a regular basis.  We encourage you to make regular visits to the site as we will be posting updates to In the News and the overall site on an ongoing basis from this point forward.

About Parents for Choice and Quality

Our Mission:

Parents for Choice and Quality envision a society where children and families have access to a comprehensive and coordinated range of high quality services that supports them in achieving their full potential.

Our Goals:

♦ To provide leadership that supports children and families in achieving their full potential.

♦ To support the development and operation of a range of quality, community based service choices and opportunities related to early childhood development, education, child care and other family related issues.

♦ To provide a voice and leadership for children and families, by keeping their needs on the on the agendas of legislators.

Great new web resource supports PEI parents with young children

Parents in PEI are currently faced with a number of critical issues related to the early years and education of Island children. 

An announcement last year regarding the plan to move Kindergarten into the public school system (from the child care system) has resulted in the appointment of a Public Kindergarten Commissioner who is now holding information meetings across the Island throughout January 2009.  In addition, a report is due to be released later this week by the Eastern School Board regarding the organization of schools in that district.  Yesterday, The Guardian published an article suggesting that the report will recommend the closure of 11 small schools. 

These are just two of the key issues that Island families are facing.  In reality, there are many other challenges that families face as they try to ensure their children receive access to quality early learning, education and support options. Parents for Choice and Quality have been working to address a number of the challenges that Island parents with young children are facing.  Recently we established a new website which can be found at www.choiceandquality.com.  In a timely move, today, we also launched a formal In The News section on the site which is a compilation of various news stories, press releases and related resources organized in sections such as:

• Early Years Strategy
• Child Care and Early Learning
• Kindergarten Transition
• Education
• Public Policy

Parents and key stakeholders who are interested in keeping up to date on the many issues that impact young PEI families will find this to be a helpful resource with many centralized links.

Working to give parents of young children in PEI a stronger voice

April Ennis and I have quietly been working away behind the scenes to develop a formal non profit organization for Parents for Choice and Quality.   Today we had a letter to the Editor in the Guardian (PEI) and we also opened up the new and revised website for the organization.  There is much more to come so stay tuned...

The mission of Parents for Choice and Quality Society is:

Parents for Choice and Quality envision a society where children and families have access to a comprehensive and coordinated range of high quality services that supports them in achieving their full potential.

Limiting competition appears to be more important than the needs of children

From CBC story today on why the PEI government chooses not to fund a Stratford Kindergarten program.

"It is the province's policy to limit the number of spaces it funds in order not to put competition stress on existing daycares."

Once again I ask...why is the system being put before the needs (and best interests) of children and families?

Putting PEI children and families first - now is the time

It has been an interesting week of discussions on PEI regarding early childhood development and learning.   A community meeting and discussion was held on Tuesday with members of the early learning sector.  A presentation was made by Joanne Schroeder of the Council on Early Childhood Development. Joanne is from British Columbia and has been involved in the ECD field through a variety of initiatives and organizations.  A separate presentation was also made to the provincial Standing Committee on Social Development by both Joanne Schroeder and Sonya Corrigan, executive director of the ECDA.  The Guardian ran an article by Teresa Wright and photo of this presentation yesterday. Here are a few highlights from the article:

Early childhood education on P.E.I. should be fully funded by government, say early learning advocates. In a presentation to the provincial Standing Committee on Social Development Tuesday, the Early Childhood Development Association (ECDA) and a provincial child and family services official from British Columbia said early learning for P.E.I. children is suffering due to a lack of resources in the sector.
"We need child care, we need parent supports and we need them to be universally accessible," said Joanne Schroeder, who works with the Children First Initiative at the British Columbia Ministry of Children and Family Development.
"I really don't want to sound too melodramatic but we're in an acute situation here."
She pointed to the labour shortages predicted across the country, especially those in P.E.I.
"To improve the population, a substantial investment in child development will be necessary," Schroeder said.
…when government decided last spring to move kindergarten into the public school system in 2010, the loss of provincial kindergarten funding previously provided to child care centres made the sector's financial difficulty even worse.
The change will amount to a $6- million loss to those centres, Corrigan said.
"We're already broke as a system, that could absolutely finish us off."
A comprehensive, fully funded early learning system needs to be established in the province, the presenters said.
"We don't really need to have new programs but we need to find a way to make them more coherent," Schroeder said.
Corrigan said government wage enhancement grants also need to be established for early childhood educators.
"It's necessary," she said.
"We can't afford not to."

I am pleased to see early childhood development and learning issues receiving continued attention on PEI.  Ongoing dialogue and discussion by both government and community is a good thing. Tapping into outside expertise is also a very positive sign of progress. 

After discussion about the community meeting with colleagues and attendees from the meeting, reviewing the Guardian coverage of the presentation to the Standing Committee on Social Development and further exploring my own recent experiences on PEI with ECD issues I feel compelled to raise the following questions and points for consideration:

·         Who is speaking for parents when it comes to the needs of children and families on PEI? How do we ensure they have a voice in the ongoing discussions that are transpiring?

·         What can PEI learn from comprehensive approaches to using the EDI such as the work that is being done in British Columbia?  What is PEI actually doing with it's own EDI results?

·         What can PEI learn from community based coalition examples from other Provinces?  Is it possible for all of the players come together and truly put children and families first?

·       How is a comprehensive, fully funded early learning system defined?  Further who gets  to define and design it? Do parents get to play a role in this or only those who work in the early childhood field/sector?  How do we ensure that parents are part of the dialogue?
 
·         What can PEI gain from the experiences of other areas in Canada when it comes to early learning? More importantly, how can those learnings be applied in PEI?  The fact is that the Island has a unique set of needs due to its size, culture and economics - simply applying what works in other places won't work on PEI - solutions will need to be customized in order to best meet the needs of PEI children and families.
 
·         What is this issue really about - children and families or those who provide the services to children and families?  Who gets to set the agenda?  How do we ensure families have a say in what they need?  Even more critical, how do we ensure that we put children first?  Are we building a system that best meets the needs of children and families? How do we actually do that with the existing system that is currently in place?
 
·         Is it possible that some advocates on PEI are calling for fully funded early childhood education on PEI due to their concerns about the government's plan to move Kindergarten into the public schools system in the near future?  Job security is at stake for many in the field, with government funding possibly drying up in the near future what will happen to the existing  operators who rely on that funding? 
 
·         How do we define quality early learning opportunities on PEI?  When will we start to truly discuss the fact that there are great variations in the quality of early learning environments on the Island?  What is the connection between quality early childhood experiences and learning outcomes in the school years? How are we measuring this? Does offering a "free program" translate to quality?
 
·         "We don't really need to have new programs but we need to find a way to make them more coherent," Sorry, but I have heard this time and time again on PEI.  What is the matter with offering new programs?  Why do so many who are involved with the existing early learning programs on the Island insist that there be no more new programs?  New programs ensure that families are given a range of options and choices when it comes to early learning experiences.  Doing "more of the same" is really not always the best solution.
 
·         What are we doing to support the vulnerable children and families on the Island?  Further, why are they vulnerable in the first place?  What more can be done to reduce the challenges that vulnerable children and families face?
 
·         How do we ensure that the needs of children with special health and learning conditions are part of this dialogue?  There are tremendous barriers for many families with children who are faced by such challenges.  How do we remove these barriers?  How to we ensure that the programs, services and supports are built to meet their needs and not the needs of the system?
 
·         Are we linking early childhood development issues, supports, services and choice/ quality to things like attracting professionals and their families to PEI in a shrinking labour market and to ensuring the future sustainability of the Island?
 
·         Should this discussion be about early learning programs alone or should it be broader than that?  Is anyone talking about the full spectrum of programs, supports and services that are needed by PEI families?  Let's make sure we are actually talking about a system that encompasses public education, parenting supports, prenatal education, outreach in rural areas, family friendly workplace practices, supports for stay at home families, expanded educational choices and much, much more.  We need these things – in addition to a range of quality child care program choices for infants, toddlers, preschoolers and school age children.
 
 
There is little doubt that this is a complex issue.  There are no simple solutions and it will take ongoing dialogue.  What I believe is truly needed is a broad based early childhood development strategy for Prince Edward Island that does more than sit on a shelf. One that addresses the full spectrum of early childhood development issues and that is about much more than just child care.  One that is comprehensive both in scope and nature. A strategy that is actually supported and implemented by all of the partners; inlcluding the PEI government.  We need to dream big…the sky should be the limit for our children.  After all, they are our future.  If we don't invest now we will pay later; there is endless research to demonstrate this.  Such a strategy will need to be designed through comprehensive public consultation, research and planning.  This will take the leadership and support of all who are involved – those who work with children and families, operators, professional associations, government employees, the government as a whole and the individual MLA's, community members AND most importantly – PEI FAMILIES.  Flexibility and a willingness by ALL to put PEI children and families first will be the key to success….for both the Island and it's children.