JULY 2005 UPDATE

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From: KIDS FIRST PARENT ASSOCIATION OF CANADA
www.kidsfirstcanada.org
604-291-0088

Contents

Membership and Contact List Update

We are updating our membership and contact lists. Please send your info (name, address, phone, email) for either list. If you prefer, send your email and province only.

Membership is currently free and is for those who support the Kids First objectives:

  • To promote the optimal care and well being of children

  • To encourage and develop a recognition of the importance of child care being provided within the home by a parent

New on Our Website   www.kidsfirstcanada.org

Articles and Research by Kids First

Postings expose the data and agendas for children and families and make recommendations for the Holistic Agenda for Families with Dependent Children. Data is presented with all references cited and is intended for use by media and government.

Read the first three blog postings:

Report on National Daycare Plan

The Federal Budget contained an increase of $5 billion for daycare over the next 5 years. There was also $100,000,000 for daycare “research” (which funds the daycare lobby.) The budget passed, so this funding will be made available to the provinces on a “per capita” basis. Provinces control social programs such as daycare; however, the federal government is attempting to engineer a national program and refusing to allow provinces the “child care” funding unless they comply with their definitions and “QUAD”.

Definition Of “ELCC” Excludes Vast Majority

The Agreements all begin by saying studies show that high quality “early learning and child care” (ELCC) are good for children. This is obvious and Kids First agrees fully. However, later in the documents, ELCC is defined as being restricted to government-regulated daycare and preschool situations:

“Early learning and child care programs and services are defined as those supporting direct early learning and care for children in settings such as child care centres and family child care.”

Kids First defines ELCC as “early learning and care of a child.” We oppose exclusive and discriminatory definitions of such terms. We further oppose this definition because it discriminates against over 90% of children who do not use government-regulated daycare.

“QUAD” is a FRAUD

This latest sound-bite stands for Quality, Universal, Access, and Developmental. Provinces must agree to these principles to get the money. All these are very vaguely defined, however, and do not actually assure that what they attempt to define will be provided.

  • Universal: Universality is not respected when the vast majority do not benefit from the funding.

  • Quality:
    • “Appropriate” staff:child ratios are never actually spelled out. (See Articles and Research by Kids Firsts: volume 2, volume 3 ).

    • the plan contradicts the evidence from developmental science and from studies of daycare that indicate that the majority of government-regulated care is of poor quality and compromises children’s development.

      Gillian Doherty, leading Canadian daycare researcher and advocate, states: “Reasons for Concern: The majority of children age 0-12 in centres do not receive adequate amounts or types of experiences to promote language and cognitive development.” (her emphasis, see http://www.excellence-earlychildhood.ca/documents/Gillian_Doherty_ANG.pdf p.4)

Daycare Agreements—Provincial Specifics

Ken Dryden (the famed NHL goalie), Social Development Canada Minister, has signed Early Learning and Child Care (ELCC) “Agreements in Principle” with Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Newfoundland & Labrador, and Nova Scotia so far. Money is being spent to figure out how exactly to spend the money to come.

For Profit And Non-Profit

The question of public funding being equally available to for-profit daycares has long divided the daycare lobby: the pseudo left until now opposed any national plans that would fund for-profit, while the corporate right wants to profit from the public funds.

Under the North American Free Trade Agreement “national treatment” rules, US “big box” daycare corporations would be eligible for the money. They are interested and no doubt lobbying for this legislation.

NEW BRUNSWICK: Premier Bernard Lord opposes excluding families from funding, and has said Mr. Dryden’s plan discriminates against children in rural areas that do not have the population base to sustain daycare centres. (See article: “Premier advances N.B. position on federal gas tax return, child-care funding.” )

ONTARIO: For-profit NOT excluded http://www.sdc.gc.ca/en/cs/comm/sd/news/agreements_principle/PCO_Ontario_e.pdf

MANITOBA: For-profit excluded from daycare and permitted in pre-school http://www.sdc.gc.ca/en/cs/comm/sd/messages/2005/PCO_Manitoba_e.pdf

SASKATCHEWAN: For-profit excluded from daycare and permitted in pre-school http://www.sdc.gc.ca/en/cs/comm/sd/messages/2005/PCO_Saskatchewan_e.pdf


Newfoundland and Labrador: For profit NOT excluded http://www.sdc.gc.ca/en/cs/comm/sd/news/agreements_principle/PCO_Newfoundland.pdf

NOVA SCOTIA: For-profit NOT excluded http://www.sdc.gc.ca/en/cs/comm/sd/news/agreements_principle/PCO_Nova_Scotia.pdf

ALBERTA: Said they would insist on funding being for parental care too, but apparently backed down and signed. For-profit NOT excluded. http://www.sdc.gc.ca/en/cs/comm/sd/news/agreements_principle/PCO_Alberta.pdf

QUEBEC: Rejects this attempt at federal control over provincial matters. They have said they will not put more money into the “$7/day” system. They currently spend $1.56 billion on the “universal” system that serves less than 25% of children and has chronic staffing problems. Daycare staff have been on strike for pay equity wages of $22/hour, and some “non-profit” directors are making over $100,000.

BC, NWT, YUKON and NUNAVUT have yet to meet with Mr. Dryden.

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