Investing in our Children 

Vernon Morning Star http://www.vernonmorningstar.com/opinion/letters/303810651.html

posted May 15, 2015 at 1:00 AM

The week of May 10-17 has been selected as a Week of Action for Child Care. We know that 75 per cent of mothers in Canada with children under the age of six are in the paid workforce – part-time or full-time.

Early Childhood Care educators want best for families

Kristi Dobson / Alberni Valley Times

May 14, 2015 12:00 AM 

Early childhood care workers are optimistic with the support that has been shown towards the $10/day Child Care Plan. Those in the field believe the initiative for more affordable child care would benefit not only families, but the quality of care their children receive. According to Ashley Salmon, program manager at Stepping Stones Alberni and co-chair of the Port Alberni branch of ECEBC, the Alberni Valley Childcare Society endorses the plan. "A big reason it is important is because it will make quality childcare universal and sustainable to families," Salmon said. Under the plan, child care fees would be capped at $10 per day for full-time programs and $7 for part-time. There would be no user frees for families with a total yearly income of $40,000 or less.

http://www.thenorthernview.com/news/303346461.html

by Kevin Campbell - The Northern View
posted May 13, 2015 at 7:00 AM

I’ve had the incredible opportunity to be involved with the $10 a Day Plan since the beginning, back when it was vision. And I’ve had the equally incredible opportunity to have worked with the visionaries that not only saw what could be, they refused to settle for anything less.

By Don Cayo, Vancouver Sun columnist May 8, 2015

http://www.vancouversun.com/business/Cayo+Better+policies+would+women+contribute+more+economy/11041714/story.html

If women participated in the labour force at the same rate as men, the economy of a developed country such as Canada would experience a 12-per-cent jump in GDP, according to Dr. Doom, a.k.a. Nouriel Roubini, the economist who gained international prominence when he correctly predicted the U.S. housing crash and the ensuring financial crisis.

http://www.wltribune.com/news/302997931.html

posted May 7, 2015 at 3:00 PM

Williams Lake is encouraged to help raise awareness of the need for quality and affordable child care next Tuesday by participating in a stroller brigade, hosted by the Early Childhood Development Network.

Participants in the brigade will meet at the Boitanio Mall parking lot on Tuesday, May 12 at 11 a.m. and walk to Kiwanis Park.

The week of May 10-17 is the national week of action for child care with events planned across the country.

People are also encouraged to push for child care in the 2015 federal election to ensure every parent the opportunity to contribute to the workforce and strengthen the economy.

“Our federal government must come to the table with the provinces and territories, in B.C. to support implementation of the $10 a day childcare plan,” states Vote Child Care 2015 in its promotional materials for the week.

The Early Childhood Development Network is a group that meets monthly in Williams Lake, made up of agencies that serve children ages 0 to 6.

This blog was originally published by www.behindthenumbers.ca and reposted here with permission of the author.

Many Canadians don’t know that Quebec has the least expensive childcare in the country at $7/day (well actually $7.30 now). Meanwhile in Toronto parents pay $49/day, and in Vancouver it’s $41 a day for toddlers/preschoolers.

It’s no surprise that $7/day childcare is wildly popular in Quebec. It’s far cheaper than the national average, and allows for more parents, and far more women to enter (or re-enter) the workforce. It also creates more spaces in regulated centres.

In Canada, there are a million families with working parents who have young children. However, there are only half a million regulated child care spaces, leaving parents with long wait times and an increased reliance on the unregulated sector.

It is said that a picture is worth a thousand words. I imagine that I’ll use about that many to tell the story of this particular picture and how the image of something in your mind can develop as it’s processed into a final picture.  

In my journey as an early care and learning advocate, there has been a wide range of emotions that either sparkle or sabotage each idea that I entertain. Linearly, the journey has been relatively short. I returned to school in September of 2013.

This time a week ago I was in Ottawa waiting to go on stage and speak at the Broadbent Institute’s second annual Progress Summit. The whole experience of being in Ottawa for the event along with about 900 progressive thinkers and activists from across Canada was a stimulating and invigorating experience.