Tell us why Canada needs child care!

As parents of two children, a spouse of a Canadian Forces member and public service employee, it baffles me as to why there is not adequate childcare within the Department of National Defence.

With three different postings in the last ten years, it is evident that there is a lack for quality, licensed childcare.

Our most recent posting at CFB Borden shocked us when we spent a morning with the Military Family Resource Centre to discover that there is only care in the following format: (taken from http://www.familyforce.ca/sites/Borden/EN/Children%20and%20Youth/Pages/ChildCare.aspx)

Child Care CentreThe Child Care Centre provides a positive learning environment designed to facilitate child development for children between the ages of eighteen (18) months and five (5) years.  The program is licensed under the Day Nurseries Act of Ontario and provides full-time and part-time care between the hours of 7:00am and 5:00pm.

Nursery SchoolThe Nursery School provides bilingual, educational programs for children between the ages of two and a half (2 ½) and five (5) years.  The program is licensed under the Day Nurseries Act of Ontario and operates half-day programs from September to June.

Best StartBest Start provides a positive learning environment within the school setting designed to facilitate child development for children between the ages of three years, eight months (3.8 years) to five (5) years.  The program is licensed under the Day Nurseries Act of Ontario and provides full-time, part-time and before/after school care between the hours of 7:00am and 5:00pm.

As working parents (both for Department of National Defence), who have children 14 months and 6 years, where is the availability and commitment to my children?  Although CFB Borden offers a drop-in for children 0-6 years of age, there is no licensed childcare that provides monday through friday, year round care for working parents.  The town of Angus, does not offer licensed childcare either.

So from posting to posting, Canadian Forces families are forced to struggle in a town that they don't know, many times not knowing a soul in the community, to find quality childcare in a dayhome that isn't licensed.  And I am not saying in any way that dayhomes are not an option, but I do think every community should offer licensed childcare.

I don't know why this isn't on the forefront with the government.  On our last posting I emailed the MP and she wrote me back a bunch of financial statistics.  I wrote her back saying she did not answer my question and she wrote me back telling me to contact my MPP.  I wrote him and he wrote me back saying to contact my MP!  How frustrating.

On our recent posting, I emailed the mayor asking why there is not adequate childcare in Angus/Borden, I have yet to hear back.

I understand it's a choice for us to have a two income family, but I think our society should have the option and choices in providing our children with the best childcare available.  Unfortunately, it seems that it just gets swept under the rug.

Very frustrating.  As a parent, a federal employee and supporter of the Canadian Forces.

RE: FRUSTRATION Submitted by Vanessa on Sun, 09/05/2010 - 23:10

DEAR Vanessa,

I support your thoughts and for having the courage to speak up as an ECE.

I feel the same way as you do:  all points considered! I have had experiences over the years working in the preschool and childcare field ~ some of those experiences have left me breathless…breathless because this is happening and continues to happen.  The facilities I have had these experiences in have all been privately owned and not necessarily owner-operated.  I can’t help but wonder if these private owners signing the paychecks find any concern with the constant staff turnover in their dysfunctional childcare centres and make their directors accountable for why this is happening. Hmmm maybe they don’t realize just how dysfunctional their centers really are. The directors of these facilities get away with operating with unfair social/emotional concern not only for the children but for the staff that work there too.  I am sure there are privately owned childcare and preschool facilities where this doesn’t happen but so far, I have not seen any.  This simply should not be happening.

I want so much to work in a child care centre but it is these past experiences that have pulled me away from doing so. I am a dedicated honor-student ECE. I have so much to give but I am driven away because I will not work under these conditions. Sadly enough it is the children that loose out when people like us leave the field when it is people like us the children really need to ensure their furfures are indeed bright and that parents will feel safe in leaving their children with them.

 I know I am not alone with these feelings so it was comforting for me to read your post today. For some reason, ECE’s seem afraid to speak up or share their concerns.  Well, if there are to be changes in the field I think it is about time they did and maybe some of these situations would come to light and licensing/accreditation would have a better view finder when they visit these facilities before they issue renewals.  I always think it is amazing what actually happens in a facility before licensing arrives for their inspection. All Licensing and Accreditation inspections should be unannounced and should be more frequent.

 I agree whole-heartedly with your statement… “To be honest I believe the majority of parents who are not fighting for this issue are not aware of current research and statistics on this matter and therefore do not realize what quality could look like.” …this is why ECE’s have to advocate on behalf of the parents also. ECE’s and parents should be partners in their child’s care and education. If this was so, I think there would be a lot of changes in the making. My heart breaks for the parent who leaves their child in a center unknowing how their child or their child’s caregivers are being treated.

Well I have written enough for today. I used to worry if I spoke up and someone saw my name on a job application they might say I am being unprofessional in being open about these issues: yikes we don’t want her working for us. After my last experience I no longer feel that way. It is about time and the time is no better than now.  Thank s for listening.  

You know, Charlotte Diamond has a song called "You Can Make a Miracle" and it would be my wish this song becomes a theme song for the field of ECE.  It certainly is mine! This song always warms my heart and gives me the courage to speak up for our children while giving the kindness and respect they so well deserve.  ECE's have the tools to make miracles...how did you make yours today?  

As a single parent, I need to work, full time. Juggling childcare and shuffling my child around so I can get in a full workday has been a challenge in the past. I'm so thankful that I now have a consistent daycare that I love and my daughter does too. Her teachers are amazing, but every child deserves to spend their days with caregivers who are well cared for themselves. Fair wages in trade for giving all they have to their work are what these patient, loving people deserve. I wish I could be at home caring for my child, but part of caring for her is putting healthy food on the table and a roof over our head. 

It makes good economic sense for governments to ensure tax payers can work, spending their wages and paying taxes to keep the economy running. Why cut out so many parents who want to be in the work force, and ECE workers who need jobs?

Quality childcare contributes to improved academic, social, emotional, and physical health in young children. Keeping kids healthy and on track also saves the provincial government in health care, social services, and education.

Every family deserves to lead healthy, productive lives - as free of barriers to their success as possible. We have the resources to spend more on childcare in this province, if only BC would adjust it's priorities. I think we all deserve a second look at what those priorities should be.

The best decision I have made for my children is to make sure that they participated in a quality child care program till they were 12 years old. This was not a decision that made my in-laws happy! They wanted to take care of the children. As a trained ECE I knew that a quality child care facility could provide programming, social and emotional skills, cognitive stimuli, and physical activities. Once the children started school I remember my in-laws coming to me and saying, "I'm so glad that you decided the children should enter a child care program. They are more ready for school now then they would ever have been if they stayed at home with us." and they apologized for making me have to defend my decision. Child care is not just about working parents, but about giving and teaching children life skills that will help them grow and succeed as an induvidual. Thank you to all child care providers for teaching all of the children in their care the skills to grow and succeed!

I think that one thing that isn't brought up enough is that some women want to work and contribute to society. Having solid, quality childcare has allowed me the peace of mind to go to work and make a difference in the world. By allowing me to work I keep up my skill set, I am in touch with the world and I am continually learning and growing as an individual.

Working part-time has been available to me and this has allowed me to be in my children's school to volunteer, and attend concerts etc and allowed me the flexibility to stay in tune with the world and continue to be a productive member of the Canadian economy. As the population ages and we need more and more workers - providing childcare allows more families to work and balance the role of raising our future citizens.

Child care is important because many families have 2 children and both parents need to work. This leaves both kids in daycare for 8 hours a day or more.  For our children they spend more of their hours awake at daycare than they do at home with us. I cherish the care givers we have, they have such a huge impact on our children's lives and are helping to shape these children into respectable, loving, caring, individuals who will some day have children of their own.  With that in mind, how is that they are paid so little when they have such a huge impact on society?

      Childcare in Canada is important because many children are left unattended whilst their parents are away for work. Children are our future and childcare is important because it helps provide children with a supportive social environment which encourages knowledge, growth and many other life skills that affect them positively in the future. It also provides parents a safe haven for their children. Therefore this should not even be a question but an obligation.

Early Childhood Educators are some of the most important people in a child's life.  Some of the children in our center spend more time with us than they do with their own families.  We provide loving and nurturing care for all children.  If ECE's were treated with the same respect of teachers more people would enter the field and stay in the field.  Wages need to increase and benefits for ECE's need to improve.  We all know people in the childcare field love children, because their is no way the money would attract anybody.

Living in a somewhat isolated rural community, I can attest to the overwhelming benefit of quality licensed child care for my family.  Having a small centre locally accesible has made a tremendous difference to our family and to my four children.  My husband and I have been able to work - not having to worry about 'who has the kids today' and the children have truly flourished in the wonderful child care environment that they attend.

While we are not a farm family, many of our neighbours are.  The child care program in our community maintains flexible and extended hours in order to accomodate the needs of those farm families.  This is huge - keeping farm families safe - not just the children being off the worksite but also the parents, being able to focus on the task at hand and not who has the children.  Over the years, there have been such tragic farm accidents - children being run over or killed by large moving equipment.  This is absolutely unnecessary - all children, no matter where they live in Canada deserve a safe, quality early learning environment! 

In my opnion, accessible child care would be fairly 'easy' to accomplish if Harper would consider and follow recommendations of the experts in implementing a National child care program.  For years and years advocates and researchers have examined the issues on how to implement a National Child care program - but Harper's government will not listen. 

Kudos to the advocates for keeping this message alive!

Canadians need good-quality affordable child care to ensure that parents can work to earn a living while their children are being taken care of in safe and stimulating surroundings.

My husband and I have been fortunate, to live in a community where our two sons could access excellent daycare provided by a local non-profit society. We are both in part-time jobs, and could only afford part-time care for them, and so we divide the week between us. Our older son transitioned to school last September with ease, having enjoyed pre-school routines at daycare. The reality in a modern society is that in most families, both parents have to work. Few families live close to grandparents willing to take care of their grandchildren every day week after week. Parents need good-quality affordable child care for their children.  And their children deserve the best child-care that can be devised!

And together with excellent daycares for children under 6, there also needs to be provision of good-quality after-school care. While school ends shortly after 2.30pm, few employers finish their business so early in the afternoon. Society needs to address this aspect of child care provision, as well as that for early childhood, to ensure that parents can contribute to a 9am-5pm workday.

Each year I have the honor of teaching university students who are committing themselves to advanced studies in early childhood education. These students will graduate with the kind of specialized knowledge that best prepares them for the inclusion of children with additional support needs and for leadership positions within the early learning community. Around the world, progressive countries have committed the resources needed to offer high quality services offered by such professionals in recognition of the value early years expereinces affords young citizens and their families. Yet Canada continues to shirk its responsbility! Where care is available, it is offered by poorly paid and often minimally trained professionals whose low salaries subsidize the actual cost of the service.

Recently, an important study (Bueno, Darling-Hammond and Gonzales, 2010) reaffirmed the importance of degree level training in early childhood education. Key findings included: “Early childhood educators with at least a bachelor’s degree and specialized training in early childhood are best able to promote the development of the cognitive and social/emotional skills young children need to be ready for kindergarten.”    A Matter of Degrees: Preparing Teachers for the Pre-K Classroom (March 2010), by Marisa Bueno, Linda Darling-Hammond and Danielle Gonzales http://www.preknow.org/documents/teacherquality_march2010.pdf  

Around the world, a specialized early childhood degree is becoming the new benchmark for ECE qualifications. UNICEF's benchmarks for quality early childhood provision state that "at least 50 per cent of staff in early education centres (3- to 5-year-olds) ... should have a minimum of three years tertiary education with recognized qualifications in early childhood studies or a related field."  The prestigious National Institute for Early Education Research's benchmarks for quality early childhood programs specify both early childhood specialization and degree-length training.

We need to demand the best for our children, and that includes well trained, well paid staff in a public delivery model that no longer depends on low wages paid to young women without much training in order to be able to break even. Our children deserve better, and so do the thousands of early childhood educators from coast to coast to coast whose vision for Canadian early childhood services far exceeds that of our politicians

Without publicly funded quality childcare it is next to impossible for single parents to pull themselves out of the depths of poverty.  With access to childcare single parents can find stable employment, assure safety and appropriate stimulation for their chidlren, and build the confidence required to manage a household with all of the challenges faced by such circumstances.

In our community, many women debate whether or not to go back into the work force after having children.  Child care in our community is very expensive and more often than not, women decide not to go back to work because the cost of childcare would equal their wages.  This type of situation prevents women from re-entering the work force after having children and it means that families are earning less income as a whole.  This situation is particularly challenging for single parent families.  Affordable child care would support families so that they can earn more income as a family.  This would also help stimulate the economy, if a family has affordable child care, they can earn more income, and will have more disposable income. 

Working as an early childhood development coalition coordinator in a small town, and having two young children in child care, I have had an incredible opportunity to gain an appreciation of the crisis that is facing our children and families.   Research clearly indicates that investing in the early years pays off in the future, but for some reason our policy makers continue to be short sighted in this regard.  Our national spending on early childhood development is among the lowest (as a percentage of GDP) in the developed world and we have failed to meet benchmarks set out by the United Nations.

There is so much to say, but it has already been said so many times.  When will those in power wake up and see that our children are not only our future, but also theirs?  We are in this together and must place a greater importance on the early years.  This includes access for all to quality child care services.

It's pretty simple.  All children deserve the best start in life!  Well funded quality child care is an integral "support" piece for families. It is good for families, it is good for the economy, it is good for schools and most of all good for our children!

Giving children a great start involves the ability of parents to have access to high quality, safe and stimulating childcare. ;Issues in Alberta include: not enought childcare spaces, having qualified and enthusiastic childcare workers who stay (pay and benefits that match the incredible responsibility these workers have and the skill and interest in nurturing little people), ability for parents to get care for the amount of time they require at affordable rates (currently childcare can be more than mortgage payments per month!), and inadequate tax credits, difficult domestic worker policies that allow for adequate number of nannies to come and stay.

With high costs of living, and a labour force that needs all qualified people to contribute through paid and volunteer work, parents need parttime and full time childcare options. Everyone needs to take responsibility -- communities are forming cooperatives and alternative ways to offer childcare. however, government needs to lead the charge to ensure all our children are kept safe, nurtured and stimulated for lifelong success. They need to review standards, policies, tax credits, and funding.

Too many people's views of child care are rooted in 1950s-era thinking. What I know is that in 2010, a lot of families need two incomes to get by. A lot of families have only one parent. A lot of families don't live near grandparents and siblings who could offer child care. Government needs to do what governments are supposed to do: step in and provide a solution for the collective good. A $100 cheque every month is a waste of resources, and as our federal government even admits on its own website, the money often doesn't even go towards child care. I wish I could be rich and didn't have to worry about child care. But I'm not, and having a kid shouldn't only be the providence of the rich or those who are willing to live at poverty levels. It's time we recognize the times we're living in, and how if we pool our $100 together, we could provide the kind of government-run child care that could one day be as an important feature of being Canadian as our healthcare system is.

As an Early Childhood Educator at The Children's Place, I value my role and importance in the development of children during their early years. Childcare is much more than a safe place to send your children during the day (or evening for parents requiring irregular hours) while parents are required to work or attend school. Children learn through play and it is our mandate and responsibility as professionals in the field of Early Childhood Education to assist by providing opportunities for these experiences to challenge children, provide opportunities to learn how to socialize with their peers, and learn valuable life skills such as problem solving skills, conflict resolution skills, independence and the ability to make decisions through choice, self-help skills, confidence and individuality.

Teachers are essential in the development of children during their school years but what about before they reach school? We are teachers too, ones who specialize in the early years of children's development, we are teachers who prepare children for the educational system and social experiences of life and should be valued for the importance of our roles in child development.  

Childcare is a necessity for many families due to the origin of dual income families and single parent families that is today’s realities for many. That being said, the quality of childcare should not be compromised due to costs, affordable childcare is a necessity for everyone and requires a partnership with the government for this to be viable.

In tody's society quality childcare should be a right not a privilage! As a parent who has worked in the field of early childhood education I can honestly say that the issue of childcare causes me the most stress in my life. I have worked in many provinces and I am confident in saying that childcare for profit should not exist! Quality childcare should be an investment in the lives of our children, not based on how much the owner wants to make at the end of the day. Quality childcare needs to be affordable,universal, accessible to all, and developmentally appropriate to the individual needs of our children along with being inclusive. There is no doubt that provinces have there own regulations, but having visited several centres I would not feel safe in leaving my children there, not just for physical safety but psycological, and developmental. If I could scream into this computer I would. I feel I have to settle for 2nd or 3rd best and staying home is not an option at this time. There has to be higher standards, and more accountability. We need the government to step up and see this for the issue it is. They are ignoring the research which they have been given and the stats on how much quality childcare will benefit both the government and society in general!! To be honest I believe the majority of parents who are not fighting for this issue are not aware of current research and staticstics on this matter and therefore do not realize what quality could look like.

Oh my, where to start. I write this not only as an ECE but also as a Mother.  First of all, Canada NEEDS a universal quality early learning system to improve the quality of life.

For the children, it would give them the best possible chance for success in school and in life. Sometimes a childcare center can be a childs only sense of security in an unsecure life. It can be the only calm, child focussed time they experiance. Studies have shown that children who show a vulnerability going into kindergarden also show the same rate of vulnerability in grades 4 and 5. Meaning that the foudation of all future learning is built mainly in the first five years of life.

For Parents, having a quality universal childcare system allows parents to concentrate on more important things of life. They can spend that money on bills or quality experiances with their children. They may not have to work as many hours leading them to be less stressed and to spend a higher quality amount of time with their children. They would have the peace of mind to know that their child is recieving the best supports to set the foundation for a successful life. Parents could also trust in the fact that the qualified early childhood educators would be able to assist in any early interventions needed to make sure children with challenges get the support they need. Also parents with lower income levels can know that their child has the same high quality opportunities that children from high income parents have.

For Community, the possibilities are endless, less crime, less poverty, more community involvement, higher community morale. Long term it benifits in costs to the justice and health systems.

What I would like to know is: WHY does the government not value our children, their children and the communities and country enough to invest in a sytem with only benifits? Financial, politcally, health-wise, crime-wise all benifits. I want to know why not? What is the downside? Other than maybe less short-term spending on frivilous one-time incentives.

Over the last 30 years that I have been involved with children and families, I have seen countless mothers and fathers and then their children go from receiving precious and scarce tax dollars to paying tax dollars - just because they got a little bit of support when the child was a preschooler in an early learning and child care centre.    The child was happy;  the parents got the education they needed and went on to get really good jobs;   they became involved in community activities and paid taxes for years and years.  

Our governments really need to learn about this; stop wasting our taxes and start spending in a smarter way - in a real child care system that ensures that all children have access to quality child care!

As a developmental psychologist, I am well versed in the research on early childhood education. The results are unequivical in showing that investment in early childhood education, particularly for vulnerable groups, pays off in spades very quickly and far into the future. These are dollars we all save for years to come, not to mention the children's lives that can be changed forever for the better.

Putting the clear and overwhelming results of scientific research aside, my experiences show the difficulties of lack of child care spaces. I put myself on the waitlist for childcare when I was a few weeks pregnant with my first child. When the time came to return to work, there were no spaces. I was stuck. By some miracle, a space eventually opened up in a daycare that was very far from my house. Despite the fact that I lived within walking distance of work and several daycares, the only spot I could access was one that required getting in the car and driving 25 minutes each way (for a total of 100 minutes a day in the car that could have been entirely avoided). Not only did the childcare issue make it difficult for me to return to work, support my family, and pay higher taxes, but it means that now (several years and another child later), I still sit in a car unnecessarily for 100 minutes per day - adding to the pollution in the environment, the congestion on the roads and putting my family at significantly greater risk of a car accident - the leading cause of death for children in Canada.

There are so many positive reasons for daycare, from peer social interaction (missing form so many remote and childless neighbourhoods) to responsible, caring, and nuturing environments (daycares provide that kind of environment) that the absence of affordable and professional daycare is a black mark on a society that prides itself on being progressive and supportive.

If children are to grow and develop into responsible members of a community the guidance and care of professional adults (ECE's) is a must.  This is not to say parents and other members of a community cannot provide this kind of care, but in a world where both parents must work to maintain a standard of living that is, at the very least, modest, then affordable daycare must be afforded to these parents.

In the small town in which I live, I am both excited and proud to say we have this affordable and exception daycare service and will continue to advocate and support of my local daycare, long after my children have outgrown its' need.

Chris Nanni  

Early Learning Programs are a requirement. Canada needs a quality, accessbile, affordable universal child care system. We need to step up our game for the children, families and future of this country!

Access to a quality childcare program near to my workplace has been the foundation of my ability to be a working mother.  Governments at various levels supported my education financially.  What is the point of training highly skilled workers and make it so difficult for them to then be contributing generators of economic activity, and both sales and income tax revenue?  I know numerous mothers who chose to leave the workforce, and more than half "chose" this due to no choice available for a good affordable childcare.  A smaller fraction chose the change for other reasons, and kudos and woman-power to them as well! (please don't dismiss similar dads, I just don't know any!)

I have also seen children that I believe qualify as "at risk" benefit from the stability that a quality childcare program provided them. Their consistent, enriching childcare experience has almost certainly kept a good handful of children I've known, personally, out of the delinquent pool. Children less "at risk" also learn, under this quality care, to play alongside children with a variety of personalities. Quality staff teach that by example and via direct guidance.

My children would not be considered "at risk". Yet, over the years I have seen, clearly, the benefits our childcare program bestowed upon my now-18-yr-old. She is very very, very shy, and yet highly functional, with a successful first year of university - away! - behind her. Still shy - but not crippled by it... high intelligence does not lead to success if the student cannot cope in the wider, more stimulating milieu. Learning to deal with non-family-members in a safe environment not only gave her the needed skills, but even allowed her leadership roles as she became one of the older children. In years to come I will continue to credit her childcare experience as a vital contributor to her successes.

Our house does not lack for books, nor toys. Yet the play at childcare, under the guidance of a trained childcare worker, is of a different, richer kind. There is more scope, more challenge, more stimulation both in playmates and supplies (art, stilts, sports, dress-up, pillowforts...).  Children are guided to resolve issues by people with more child psych and development training than most parents ever receive! Our quality childcare "graduates" pre-teens with greater life skills than most would have without it.  For that matter, those staff have given my husband and I many gems of advice to help us be better parents.

The tragic part is, how many people in our community cannot afford our childcare, or cannot get a space. Single parents, single-income families, students... no chance of affording a great childcare program. And then there are the many communities who have no access to anything like one.

Childcare workers should be trained, and paid accordingly. They are also teachers!  Childcare should be a community concern and responsibility - like schools.  The social and economic benefits of quality childhood education from a very young age, both short and long term, need to be demonstrated to and recognized by policy makers and the public.

Be well.

I don't have children, but as a community social worker, I see child care as a means for families to flourish. There is no doubt that as a society we will all benefit from the investments we make to give our children a good start.  But there are many short-term benefits that we can count on, including the reduction of poverty, by giving those who wish to work, the ability to do so.  There are so many benefits in fact, short and long term, it is hard to see a viable reason for Canada not already having a system that provides accessibility for parents and families to child care in Canada.  Good quality, affordable early childhood education shouldn't be a luxury or a rarity for any Canadian, it's common sense, for the greater good.

As a working mother this is not a luxury item, this is a necessity.  Unfortunately, what ofter rules which daycare a person will choose are not the programs that are offered at oneot the other but how much one costs over the other.  This is espicially true when you don't qualify for special grants or funding.  If there was universal Child care then this would be taken out of the equation and it would be what is best for the child not the parents pocket book.

"Strong families ensure a bright future for Canada.  The most important investment we can make as a country is to help families raise their children"  Speech from the Throne, April 4, 2006 - Stephen Harper

It's time that governments live up to their words and make a real investment in a publicly funded and delivered early learning childcare system.  Working families, especially women, have heard these words for decades and still there is no comprehensive system of early learning and care in our country. 

With the lack of core funding to reduce parent fees, raise staff wages and build new community-owned spaces the state of childcare in the province of Saskatchewan undermines, rather than supports, women's economic empowerment.  While Saskatchewan is home to a number of innovative programs, they lack  coordination and integration in a meaningful way.  To support all children and families, a coordinated approach to funding and delivering early learning and childcare services is key to building a system that ensures a bright future for Canada.

Finding an affordable, high quality child care space shouldn't be a matter of luck.  Canada needs parents to work to make our country prosper.  Our government has a duty to ensure that parents have proper family supports, like child care, in order to support their familes.  As a tax apyer I am willing to designate my taxes to build a high quality child care system in Canada.

I am a tax paying mother and I want to invest in a high-quality child care system that is publicly funded and delivered.

Brain development experts tell us that child care is good for children when it is of high quality.

Parents tell us that good quality child care is essential for them to work and study.

Economists tell us that the market will not deliver a system of child care services on its own. Government action is needed.

It is time for our governments (municipal, provincial and federal) to listen to the expets and take action!