Work. Family. Life.

ECEBC writes to Premier

November 20, 2009
 
 
OPEN LETTER TO THE PREMIER OF BRITISH COLUMBIA
 
 
Honourable Gordon Campbell
Premier
Province of British Columbia
PO Box 9041 Stn Prov Govt 
Victoria, BC  V8W 9E1
 
 
Dear Premier Campbell,
 
The Early Childhood Educators of BC, writes to you today to outline concerns we have with the state of public policy and spending on programs for children in BC.  While we are more than aware of the deficit facing the taxpayers of BC and the challenges your government faces financially, none-the-less, we believe that some of the choices being made are detrimental to children’s health and BC’s family well-being.
 
While $300 million dollars per year is spent on child care in BC, $200 million of these funds are direct subsidy to low income families.  We know this funding is important for low income families, however it does not build a system, increase spaces to combat wait lists nor does it make child care affordable for families.  Wait lists are at crisis proportions in this province while early childhood educators are leaving the field as they cannot afford to make a living wage in the profession.  
 
Minor capital grants for child care centres have been decreased from $5000 per program  per year to $2000 per address per year. In 2008, and again in 2009, child care programs received child care enhancement funding though BC Council for Families.  This money is now gone.   All of these decreases and changes will impact programs’ ability to operate and parent fees will increase once again.  
 
Provincial offices of the infant development programs and supported child development have been eliminated without consultation with parents and programs.  We are told the MCFD Safe, Strong and Supported plan will address integrated service, but on the ground we have little information.  How will you ensure that children with special needs will receive specialized attention and service without the expertise of these important programs?
 

Finally and the most disturbing, for six years in a row, BC has recorded the highest child poverty rates in Canada.  How could you have allowed this to happen?  BC needs a comprehensive poverty reduction plan which must include the building of a quality, affordable child care system.   What are your immediate plans to address this situation? What is your plan to address the child care crisis in BC?
 
The lack of a comprehensive plan for early care and learning is simply unacceptable.  While we understand that the Ministry of Children and Family Development has completed their early years plan, it has not been shared publicly and therefore we are left in the dark as to the direction government plans to take regarding our young children.  With birth rates falling and baby boomers retiring, business leaders are raising the alarm bell regarding the lack of qualified workers in the province.  The absence of a plan for development of a comprehensive child care system is detrimental to the economy and to helping BC get back to a strong and viable economy.
 
Under the Ministry of Education, the development of all day kindergarten is a step in the right direction.  ECEBC has been supportive of the decision to develop all day kindergarten, but we are now increasingly alarmed that adequate planning and resources have not been directed to its development.  You have a huge opportunity to build a strong, comprehensive and full day system that will allow optimum development of five year olds and allow their parents to work or study.  
 
To do this well, requires adequate resources for renovating existing classrooms, hiring educators who are trained to work with this age group and ensure appropriate resources and equipment are in place to support their care and learning.  While we understand there will be a need for early childhood educators, the dearth of information and consultation is disconcerting.  What is the plan for all day kindergarten?  How will working parents be supported to have their children in all day kindergarten?  
 
The Early Childhood Educators of BC await your reply.
 
Yours truly,
 
 
Vi-Anne Zirnhelt
President of the Board

ECEBC -  2774 East Broadway, Vancouver, BC  V5M 1Y8  ·  P 604 709 6063 · F 604 709 6077 · TF 1800 797 5602 · www.ecebc.ca 

 

Big move to Burnaby for Ritchie Bros. - "We want our employees and their families to be happy...."

EXCERPTS from Burnaby Now Article

Dave Ritchie takes no credit for the gleaming new 164,000-square-foot headquarters of Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers that officially opened on Oct. 29 in the Big Bend area of South Burnaby.

Ritchie, chairman emeritus of the heavy-equipment auction service, helped start the company in 1958 in Kelowna, but he's now content to let the new generation of Ritchie employees lead the company to heights not even he could imagine.

"It's a pretty cool building, and it's a pretty practical building," said Ritchie. "When we first came to Burnaby in 1963, we had a really small facility on the old Marine Drive. ... Who would have thought we'd end up back in Burnaby with a facility like this?"

Ritchie walks proudly in the building that currently houses 312 full-time and 30 part-time employees. The company, which had previously had its headquarters in Richmond, needed to find a place that could house up to 700 employees because, unlike most companies during the economic recession, Ritchie Bros. is thriving.

"We tend to do well in good times and bad times," said Ritchie Bros. chief executive officer Peter Blake. "In good times, companies are looking to upgrade, and in bad times, well, sometimes they have to sell off their machinery. ... And since we're a global company, we are selling product in Edmonton to bidders in Saudi Arabia, or we're selling product from Dubai to Australia."

.....For both Blake and Ritchie, their favourite place in the entire building is the child-care facility, which has room for 45 children."It kept on coming up in our surveys that child care was important," he said. "I've got two young children myself, so I heard what everybody was saying.""I think it really speaks to the family atmosphere we want to create," said Ritchie."We want our employees and their families to be happy, so having their children taken care of safely is important to us because it's important to our employees."

via www2.canada.com

Minister Greenan: Let's get clear on the vision - is it about children or the sector?

On November 12, 2009 the following was in the PEI Throne Speech:

My Government is mindful that the magnitude of this change will have an impact on the early childhood sector. My Government recognizes that early childhood education and care holds lifelong benefits for children – and provides vital support to Island families. My Government is working with the early childhood sector to define the financial and human resource impacts and to identify potential transition measures to help the sector move toward sustainability. In the coming year, my Government will build on this work through a comprehensive review to establish a vision and long-term strategy for the healthy development and well-being of Island children and their families.

In a Press Release from the PEI Provincial Government today the following was stated:

The provincial government announced in the Speech from the Throne that it will soon initiate a wider process to establish a vision and long term strategy for the early childhood sector. “This will bring parents, early childhood educators and partners together to identify what we want for our children, and how we can work together towards a vibrant, sustainable early childhood sector in Prince Edward Island.”

So which is it? 

Are we developing a vision and long term strategy for the healthy development and well-being of Island children and their families or are we developing a vision and long-term strategy for the early childhood sector?  While there are direct connections between the two; the reality is that they are vastly different. 

Clearly, there are significant issues to be addressed with the transition to Full Day Kindergarten.  The impacts to community based child care and early learning programs are vast.  Of course, the Government should be addressing these. It is good to see some small steps in this direction.  That said; it would be a huge mistake to only focus on the needs of the early childhood sector. 

Prince Edward Island needs a comprehensive, broad based early childhood development strategy for all young children. (Not just those who are in licensed child care programs!) This strategy needs to be about children and families - not just the early childhood sector.

Such a strategy should  be comprehensive both in scope and nature. A strategy that is actually supported and implemented by all of the partners; including 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, health professionals, community agencies, 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.

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?

What are the issues that bring people to this blog? Many!

Below is a list of the key words that people have searched for in recent weeks and months to arrive at this blog.  These are not listed in order of relevance, rather I have placed them in alphabetical order so as to see similar items grouped together where possible.  It is interesting to see the range of items that attract people to this site.

"Early Childhood Educators Loan Assistance Program "
"early intervention" speech
"Kellie Leitch" Globe and Mail
"Mary Polak"
"patti bacchus, chair"
"sadaf parvaiz"
"Victoria Sopik"
(http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/ewh-semt/pubs/occup-travail/balancing_six-equilibre_six/index-eng.php
(vancouver) secure status
+kindergarten +ontario +"full day" +ece
$10 billion in education grants
20
2009 call for proposals in Canada
2009 evaluation of parental leave
2009 statistics stay at home moms
2010 all day kindergarten ontario
2010 full day kindergarten bc
2010 new members list contact of Abbotsford Farm and Country Market @hotmail.com
2010 ontario full time program kindergarten
2010 parental leave extended in canada
2010-2011 kindergarten program full days ontario
3185 Willingdon Green Burnaby, BC
4 year olds in school by 2010 (BC)
5 years old kindergarten will begin to be delivered in schools throughout British Columbia in Sept,
a healthy work environment
accessing early maternity leave benefits in bc
According to the recent HELP (UBC) report commissioned by the Business Council of BC, "BC has a six
actionplan.gc.ca
advantages of New Brunswick’s New Brunswick’s International Strategy
Alberta bc requirements for working at child care services
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all day kindergarten + bc
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Canadian professional development opportunities in early learning and care

Below is a list of sites that outline upcoming professional development opportunities for the early learning and care field.  This posting is a work in progress; with more info being added over the next few weeks and months.  If you know of additional training opportunities please leave a comment and link.

British Columbia

BC Aboriginal Child Care Society - Annual Conference Page

BC Family Child Care Association - Events Page

Westcoast Child Care Resource Centre - Training Page

Child Care Options - Training Page

ECEBC - Conference 2010 Page

HELP - Human Early Learning Partnership - Events Page

Alberta

Alberta Child Care Association - Events Page

Manitoba

Manitoba Child Care Association - Events Page and Fall Workshop Page

New Brunswick

Early Childhood Care and Education - Training Page

PEI

Early Childhood Development Association of PEI - Events Page

National

Child Care Resource and Research Unit - Events Page

Canadian Child Care Federation - Events Page

Video of new family friendly headquarters - Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers

From Vancouver Sun article

More on Kids & Co at Uvic

From The Ring

By Robie Liscomb

Child care was again on the agenda for UVic’s Board of Governors at its Sept. 29 meeting.

Making a special representation to the board was Dr. Lynne Marks (History), speaking on behalf of the Childcare Action Group, a group of concerned faculty, students and staff.
Marks briefly presented some of the findings of the group’s recent survey of child care needs on campus. She also urged the board not to be hasty in making a decision on the direction the university should take in addressing the need for more child care spaces and to involve all stakeholders in the process.

The board also received a report on child care expansion from the vice-president academic and the vice-president finance and operations, prepared at the request of the board’s operations and facilities committee.

The report reviewed the status of the current operations of UVic Child Care Services and outlined four options for future expansion.

UVic now provides high quality child care for 154 children in six centres, and in August there were approximately 300 children on the waiting list. The university provides an annual operating subsidy of $500,000, and approximately $300,000 in deferred maintenance costs have accumulated. While the university is committed to the current level of child care on campus, there is minimal potential for expansion within the existing facility according to the report, so this is not a viable option.

Another option identified is closing or reducing the after-school program and repurposing Centre 6 to provide 20 to 30 full-time, pre-school or mixed-age care spaces. This would entail renovation costs of $600,000 and require an additional $100,000 in annual operating subsidies.

A third option would be a new purpose-built facility to provide 50 spaces. This would entail capital costs of $1.75 million and additional annual operating subsidies of $187,000 to $314,000.

The fourth option explored is expanding local community capacity through third-party child care providers. In particular, the report identifies Kids & Co., a national child care provider, which has expressed interest in expanding into the Victoria area. It already provides child care for employees and students of eight universities and other large employers, including NSERC and SSHRC. Kids & Co. has identified a nearby building site and would cover full capital and operating costs and, for an annual fee from the university, guarantee access for all faculty and staff (and a similar arrangement could be negotiated for students).

The report was discussed in a meeting of the board’s operations and facilities committee and brought to the board with a motion, which carried, that requested the administration provide further information and options to the board at its November meeting.

The motion specifically requested further due diligence regarding Kids & Co.; an analysis of the need and demand for child care at UVic; a set of questions of principle for the board, including whether it is appropriate for the university to provide child care, and if so, whether it is appropriate to subsidize child care and at what levels, to identify any opportunity costs and, depending on the board’s answers to these questions, consider what options are possible and what form of multi-stakeholder consultation might be appropriate. Regardless of the outcome of the discussions, the university will continue to provide childcare at the current levels.

UVic needs child care and is considering Kids & Co

There is a desperate need for additional child care spaces in the Victoria area. According to a recent report submitted to the Board of Governors; Kids & Co (a national provider of corporate child care services) are being considered.

This has resulted in mixed reactions here in BC.  Here are some links to recent postings regarding this issue:

UVic Child Care Action Group

From the group's Facebook Page -

As you may be aware, faculty, students and staff with young children face a particular challenge of finding adequate childcare to support their families and their careers. While childcare facilities on campus are excellent, they come nowhere near to meeting the demand; incoming faculty are told that the wait-list is two years or more, and many are never called. As a result, we have formed a group of concerned faculty, students and staff – the University Childcare Action Group – to organize an awareness campaign across campus, with the long-term goal of creating more childcare spaces on campus. We have been inspired by a similar initiative at the University of British Columbia, which succeeded in doubling the size of the childcare programme. We are moving in several directions to increase awareness of this issue, bringing scores of individual stories, needs and concerns to the attention of the administration.

Child Care Advocates of BC - BC government inaction invites big box, corporate child care at University of Victoria

Liberals once again making promises about national child care program

From Toronto Star Article (Oct 21, 2009)

The federal Liberals are promising to put a national child-care program at the forefront of the next election campaign and any future government, with leader Michael Ignatieff describing it as a "legacy" item for his party.

"It's a clear commitment," Ignatieff told reporters after a visit to an Ottawa daycare centre on Tuesday. "If you have commitments, you don't have 20. You have three or four and this is one of them."

Human Resources Minister Diane Finley immediately poured cold water on the suggestion, arguing Ignatieff is making expensive promises that he can't afford, and that Canadian parents are already well-served by the $100-a-month cheques they receive under the Conservative's child-care program.

"Mr. Ignatieff is making grand promises that he absolutely refuses to cost out, or say how he'll pay for them," Finley said.

Just released: Early childhood education and care in Canada 2008

This comprehensive report, the 8th edition since 1992, provides key data on child care and kindergarten across Canada. It tracks spaces, finances, quality issues and public policy developments at the provincial/ territorial and federal levels, includes demographic information such as mothers' labour force participation, and identifies trends over time.

Full day Kindergarten to begin in BC in 2010

Visit the online Full Day Kindergarten community that we are building with colleagues and parents across Canada.

From today's Throne Speech in BC

Nothing is more important as we look to our future than the education of our children. Government has focused its attention on expanding university, college and apprenticeship opportunities in the last eight years. Thousands of new spaces have been created for graduating students.

We must now focus on increasing graduation rates and improving student performance from the earliest years.

Government will place early learning and early-childhood development at the forefront of efforts to improve our education services.

Neighbourhood learning centres will become the focus of intensive activities with city councils, library boards, recreation commissions, parents and professionals. Government will work to establish educational and preschool opportunities in the midst of the neighbourhoods where our families live. Together, we can work to centre neighbourhoods and communities on the needs of our families, their children's education and the environment.

Full-time, five-year-old kindergarten will begin to be delivered in schools throughout British Columbia in September of 2010.

Wondering about claiming summer camp fees on your taxes?

Here is a helpful article from the Vancouver Sun.

Tax relief, if applicable, can come in one of two forms: the long-standing child care deduction or the relatively new Children’s Fitness Tax Credit.

City of Richmond grant applications now being accepted from community non profits

Richmond City Grants are awarded annually. The goal of the City Grant Program is to build strong communities by assisting non-profit community groups in delivering services to Richmond residents.

The objectives of the Grant Program are:

• To improve the quality of life of Richmond residents through a wide range of beneficial community group programs
• To assist primarily Richmond based community groups to provide more beneficial programs, to more residents
• To build community group capacity to deliver programs
• To promote partnerships and financial cost sharing among the City, other funders and community groups.

More on the issue of unaffordable child care in BC

According to a recent article in the Vancouver Sun:

Just one in 10 in B.C. finds daycare affordable

 Only 13 per cent of British Columbians with children said the affordability of daycare is good or very good, compared with 31 per cent of Canadians.

More information on child care issues in BC can be found here.