Posted by Lynell Anderson · November 30, 2018 8:39 PM
Evidence supports daycare plan
Re: “Do homework on all the costs of daycare plan,” editorial, Nov. 25.
Years of “homework,” including a large and growing number of research studies, consistently find that public investment in high-quality, affordable child care results in large social and economic benefits. These benefits include increased female labour-force participation and economic growth (i.e. more jobs) and lower child and family poverty.
Years of “homework” also show that, among wealthy countries, Canada invests the least in child care, with provinces such as B.C. historically spending less than one-third of the international benchmark of one per cent of GDP. That’s why there are only enough licensed spaces for 18 per cent of young children in B.C. and, before B.C. Budget 2018, parent fees were too high and early childhood educator wages too low.
The cost and benefit analyses developed for the $10-a-day child-care plan are grounded in solid research. The child-care prototype sites across B.C. provide an excellent opportunity to learn even more about the actual costs of quality, affordable child care as the new system unfolds — a true example of evidence-based public policy that merits support, not unsubstantiated criticism.
Lynell Anderson
Family policy/$10-a-day researcher
Coquitlam
Read the Letters to the Editor in the Times Colonist newspaper here...
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Posted by Lynell Anderson · November 27, 2018 9:43 PM
BC’s new provincial government has taken first steps to begin implementing universal child care. BC Budget 2018 committed $1 billion over three years to improve access to quality, affordable child care, complemented by additional federal funding of $153 million. Building on its election commitment to the $10aDay Child Care Plan, government’s significant actions to date are in three key areas — lower parent fees, more licensed spaces, and higher ECE wages.
See the financial commitments here...
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Posted by Lynell Anderson · November 25, 2018 10:26 PM
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Posted by Sharon Gregson · November 25, 2018 10:07 PM
1. Bowen's Kinderhaus selected for $10 a day daycare
Parents said it was like winning the lottery on Bowen. Click here for article...
2. Houston parents to pay $10 a day for daycare
Beanstalk coordinator says this will make a "huge difference" to local families. Click here for article...
3. Penticton childcare facility lands provincial funding; $10-a-day costs for parents
Parents of more than 100 children in Penticton will have their childcare costs drastically reduced. Click here for story...
4. FOULDS: Spend lots now, save much more later.
The announcement last week was life-changing for families of 117 kids in Kamloops... Click here for article...
5. Universal childcare in Kelowna off to a good start
Kelowna’s Little Scholars seeing positive results from B.C government’s $10-a-day project. Click here for article...
6. 'Like winning the lottery': $10-a-day child care to be tested at 8 Vancouver Island locations
Parents on Vancouver Island are ecstatic after the B.C. government announced it will begin testing out $10-a-day child care at more than 50 facilities around the province. Click here for the article...
7. West Shore parents relieved as Highlands daycare joins $10-a-day pilot
Lexie’s Little Bears’ Child Care Inc. is one of two Victoria daycares selected for this provincial pilot. Read more here...
8. B.C. announces new $10/day child care at 53 daycare facilities
The B.C. NDP government is taking steps to make good on its election promise of affordable, universal child care. Read more here...
9. Two North Okanagan daycares move to $10-a-day pilot
Roughly 2,500 parents who are existing clients will now pay a maximum of $200 per month. Read more here...
10. Revelstoke’s Stepping Stones child care selected to deliver universal, low-cost child care
Caregivers will pay no more than $200 a month per child. Read more here...
11. B.C. starts testing $10-a-day child-care program for 1,800 children across the province
The B.C. government is testing a program that will provide families across the province with $10 per day child care. Read more...
12. Families welcome $200 monthly child care fees in ‘life-changing’ pilot project
“I’ve had families, parents contact me who are in tears. They are so happy about the difference it’s going to make for their families,” Read more...
13. Updated: $10 a day for three Coquitlam child care centres
Parents to get subsidies to reduce the cost of care in provincial pilot. Read more here...
14. Low-cost child care pilot expanded in North Vancouver
Families of all 37 kids at Novaco daycare in Norgate will pay a maximum of $200 per month. Read more...
15. Comox child care centre among $10 a day prototypes
Government rolls out universal child care project, using 53 centres in pilot project. Read more...
16. Squamish's Discovery Kids Childcare selected for $10-a-day pilot project
B.C. launches $10-a-day daycare project at 53 sites across the province. Read more...
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Posted by $10aDay Child Care · October 24, 2018 11:41 AM
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Posted by $10aDay Child Care · October 19, 2018 12:21 PM
Our submission to the Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services
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Posted by Sharon Gregson · October 11, 2018 4:23 PM
The lengths some Kamloops parents must go just to secure daycare
KAMLOOPS - Emily Anderson didn’t need day care for her son until he was a year old, but she knew she had to start early. She started looking when he was two months old and got on a waitlist.
When she first started calling daycares around Kamloops, some wouldn’t even call her back. Across the province, some wait lists are as long as two years for licensed facilities and Anderson saw it firsthand.
“We were able to secure a spot with nine months lead time,” Anderson says. “At three months old we had him signed up.”
There are only enough licensed child care facilities in British Columbia for about 20 per cent of children according to the Coalition of Child Care Advocates of B.C.
Read the full article from Kamloops InfoNews.ca here
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Posted by Sharon Gregson · October 11, 2018 4:14 PM
In just 14 months BC’s still-new government has taken bold steps to address the child care chaos.
Finally, after 16 years of inaction on child care under previous governments, we’re now seeing substantial improvements. Based largely on the evidence-based $10aDay Child Care Plan, government is lowering parent fees, raising educator wages and education, and creating more licensed spaces.
Thanks to years of advocacy - from parents, grandparents, educators, and employers across the province – all of our elected officials now know how important quality, affordable child care is for BC children, families, communities and our economy.
Here are highlights of the BC government’s steps to date:
Read the full article here:
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Posted by $10aDay Child Care · September 25, 2018 11:31 AM
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Posted by Sharon Gregson · September 21, 2018 12:14 PM
September 21, 2018
Honourable Katrina Chen
Minister of State for Child Care
PO Box 9057 STN PROV GOVT
Victoria, BC V8V 9E2
Dear Minister of State Chen:
Recently we have been contacted by parents and child care providers expressing concern about:
- Child care fees that, from their perspective, are increasing substantially – despite their program’s participation in the Child Care Fee Reduction Initiative (FRI)
- Licensed programs that may be closing, for various publicly-stated reasons.
In the past, we alerted you to individual cases of unusual fee increases in Nanaimo that came to our attention. We are now hearing of large fee increases in other communities, typically in for-profit operations, which have resulted in no, or minimal, fee reductions for families.
Ministry staff have advised they are monitoring the situation closely, and find these are isolated situations. We hope that remains true for both unusual fee increases and program closures.
Certainly, we’ve been hearing lots of concerns about fee increases and program closures for many years. However, unlike the previous government, your government is making significant investments in lowering parent fees and increasing licensed spaces, so it’s essential to ensure that your child care priorities are not undermined. In addition to the policies and accountability mechanisms already in place, we recommend that government take proactive steps to reduce the possibility of these situations arising, follow-up on individual concerns, and take action where appropriate and necessary.
Click here to download a PDF version of the letter to Minister Chen
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