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Why Child Care is a Big Election Issue
Source: Toronto Star, April 27, 2011
Excerpt: "This brings me to the Conservative plan for child care, which is no plan. It does not make the party’s priority list of jobs, troops, sovereignty and victims of crime. It is mentioned only once in their platform, with a reference to the "Universal Child Care Benefit" that the Tories created after axing the Liberal program. The benefit is a cheque for $100, sent every month to parents of children under six. It is meant to "support all parents," the platform says, "and to respect their right to choose the form of child care that’s best for their families." ….The irony is the Conservative plan costs $2.5 billion annually — more than the Liberal and NDP plans combined. Although individually less than the cost of a monthly subway pass, those $100 cheques add up to a lot collectively."
[First Nations] Children’s Rights Denied by Indifference and Legal Technicalities
Source: Amnesty International Canada, April 27, 2011
Excerpt: "Indigenous peoples and human rights organizations urge all political leaders in Canada to make a clear public commitment to ending the discriminatory underfunding that is tearing apart First Nations families. For the last decade, government studies have shown that the federal government is failing in its responsibilities to Indigenous children and their families. The government spends significantly less money per child for children’s services in First Nations reserves than its provincial and territorial counterparts provide in predominantly non-Aboriginal communities. This is despite the higher costs of delivering services in remote communities and the greater need created by the residential school legacy and other pressures on First Nations communities."
NFLD: Standing Behind a Failing Child-Care System
Source: The Western Star (NFLD), April 27, 2011
Excerpt: "In the last month, as media has focused more and more on problems with the childcare situation in Newfoundland, our government stated there would be a “major” announcement in the 2011 budget concerning child care. Along with many other parents in this province, I waited with baited breath to hear how the government planned to solve the issues."
First Nations Children: The Back of the Bus
Source: Toronto Star, April 26, 2011
Excerpt: "Canada's failure to address the growing gap in education funding for on-reserve schools will hold every Canadian back. It defies imagination how the human argument — the calls for social justice or children's rights — continues to fall on deaf ears and fails to elicit a human response from those who seek to lead this country. How could anyone not be moved by the young boy who told the students in Ottawa, “I have two eyes, arms, legs and one heart just like you. We are the same. We deserve a school just like you.""
See also: www.shannensdream.ca
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Daycare Dilemma: Middle-Income Albertans Vulnerable in Unregulated Child Care System
Source: Health Canal, April 26, 2011
Excerpt: "University of Calgary sociologist Dr. Tom Langford warns Alberta parents to be vigilant when choosing a daycare program for their young children thanks to a recent Alberta Government announcement. The government announced in early April that it is scrapping its plan to make accreditation mandatory for all day cares in Alberta…. Langford is the author of Alberta’s Day Care Controversy, a historical study of childcare policies, programs and funding between 1908 and 2009. His research finds that children from middle-income families are those most likely to receive care in unregulated family day homes or unaccredited day cares."
Universal Daycare Leaves Sweden’s Children Less Educated
Source: National Post, April 26, 2011
Excerpt: "While preparing for a trip to Canada, I have learned that many Canadians consider my country, Sweden, to be a model for good family policy. After all, Sweden has a universally accessible, government-funded daycare system, and a 2006 study by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development ranked Sweden at the top and Canada at the bottom in childcare provision. Indeed, Swedish family policies are internationally admired, offering comprehensive and affordable daycare, gender equality and a high percentage of women in paid work. This, however, is only one half of the story."
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Ontario Schools Squeezed for Full-Day Kindergarten Space
Source: Globe and Mail (Toronto), April 25, 2011
Excerpt: "Elementary schools struggling to accommodate full-day kindergarten classes could push Grades 7 and 8 students into local high schools that have space, Education Minister Leona Dombrowsky has acknowledged after the issue was raised by a Conservative MPP."
Ontario: Kindergarten Split Classes Will 'Shortchange' Students
Source: Globe and Mail (Toronto), April 25, 2011
Excerpt: "Play is enjoying a renaissance in education as a growing body of research supports its ability to promote intellectual and emotional growth. But the play-based aspect of full-day kindergarten in Ontario is being threatened as budget pressures and growing demand have prompted nearly 40 schools to introduce full-day kindergarten-Grade 1 split classes, with more likely coming this fall."
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Child Care Report Card: Harper’s Score 'Unsatisfactory'
Source: Code Blue for Child Care, April 19, 2011
Excerpt: "A report card grading the Canada-wide parties’ child care election promises says Stephen Harper and his Conservatives are unwilling to learn and should develop active listening skills around parents’ needs for reliable, high quality child care."
Funding for 25 New Child-Care Centres Raises Family Choices Commitment to 54 New Centres Over Five Years
Source: Government of Manitoba, April 20, 2011 (news release)
Excerpt: "The province will fund an extra 25 child-care sites, raising its five-year commitment under Family Choices to 54 new centres, Premier Greg Selinger announced today. Also under Budget 2011, the province is investing an extra $21.3 million for these child-care centres, 2,100 newly funded spaces, including infant spaces, and improved pensions for child-care workers, the premier said."
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Mixed Reaction to Child Care Plan [in NFLD]
Source: The Telegram (NFLD), April 20, 2011
Excerpt: "The minister of child, youth and family services says a new two-year pilot project to develop child care spaces in family homes has the "potential to create 400 (new child care) spaces over the next two years." ….Minister Charlene Johnson told reporters it doesn’t make sense to build child care centres in small rural towns, so the province will instead raise the startup grants for people who want to operate a regulated child care centre in their house."
No More Excuses, Native Child Welfare Summit Hears
Source: Toronto Star, April 19, 2011
Excerpt: "Native educator Cindy Blackstock wants to know why First Nations children are treated like second-class citizens in Canada. Children living in some First Nations go to mouldy schools or don’t have one to attend, Blackstock told the province’s first ever provincial summit on native child welfare."
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Federal Election 2011: Where Does Child Care Fit In?
Source: Ontario Coalition for Better Child Care
Excerpt: "Canada is headed towards its 41st election on May 2nd, 2011. Parents, child care workers, and allies all want to know how child care will fit in to party platforms and where the needs of our families and communities fall in their list of priorities."
Daycare Abuses Still Not Made Public
Source: Toronto Star, April 17, 2011
Excerpt: "The Ontario government never delivered on a promise — made four years ago — to regularly publish daycare inspection records and reports of serious incidents. After the Star's 2007 investigation revealed previously secret problems in many daycares, the Ontario government vowed to tear down the wall of secrecy surrounding abuses and unsafe conditions by posting detailed information on a public website. That never happened, but it is coming said a government official."
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CECE Appointment of New Registrar & CEO
Source: College of Early Childhood Educators, April 15, 2011
Excerpt: "On behalf of the Council I am delighted to announce the appointment of Ms. Sue Corke as Registrar and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the College of Early Childhood Educators (the College). … Over the last few years we have made great progress in establishing the regulatory body for the profession. The membership continues to grow, along with the solid reputation of the College in the professional and regulatory community. As the College continues to evolve, the skills of the Registrar and CEO will be critical in managing our operational effectiveness."
SchoolsPlus Expanded to All School Boards
Source: Government of Nova Scotia, April 14, 2011 (news release)
Excerpt: "Education Minister Ramona Jennex announced today, April 14, that the SchoolsPlus pilot program will be expanded to all eight school boards, giving children, youth and families better access to social, health, justice and mental health services. Family resource centres, child care and youth health centres will be located within select schools at all school boards. This will lead to the enhanced use of school facilities by students, families and the community."
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Help Needed to Offset Rising Costs of Raising Children
Source: CTV, Southwestern Ontario, April 14, 2011
Link includes 3-part video series, "Costly Children."
Excerpt: "As the cost of raising children climbs, some argue parents need more help to cope, or it may be the Canadian economy that pays the price….As the cost has climbed, the number of babies born in Canada has dropped. The current birth rate is 1.5 children per woman. That's 40 per cent below the 2.1 needed to replace the population. Demographers argue that immigration won't completely make up the difference, because according to a Senate committee report, Canada is becoming a less attractive destination for immigrants."
How Parenting Matters
Source: New York Times, April 14, 2011
Excerpt: "Jane Waldfogel, a Columbia University professor who specializes in research on children, is the author of "Britain's War on Poverty," which was published last year. She previously wrote, “What Children Need,” an overview of research on child development. Several of Ms. Waldfogel's research papers are available from the National Bureau of Economic Research. Our conversation follows."
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Daycares Question New Funding
Source: Global Winnipeg, April 14, 2011
Excerpt: "The people who run daycares in Manitoba are still trying to sort out a big promise in this week’s provincial budget. The NDP government promised 2,100 new daycare spaces – but not all the funding is all that new. Plus, some existing child care centres are still waiting for money, just to keep operating. The $4-million announcement was pledged to create thousands of new spaces but Family Services Minister Gord Mackintosh admitted Wednesday that he is unsure exactly how many that will be."
Day Care by the Rules
Source: Calgary Herald, April 12, 2011
Excerpt: "Provincial Children and Youth Services Minister Yvonne Fritz has a responsibility to live up to her word last summer, promising all Alberta day cares would be subjected to accreditation. Fritz changed her mind on mandatory accreditation last week, despite arguing in July it was the only way to ensure quality care, safe buildings and fair wages for staff. Now she believes that because voluntary accreditation is so successful, with 85 per cent of day cares accredited, there’s no need to bring out the big stick."
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PEI: Provincial Child Care Registry Officially Launched
Source: The Guardian (PEI), April 8, 2011
Excerpt: "A new website will help parents find information and register for their choice of early learning and child care centres across Prince Edward Island. The Prince Edward Island Child Care Registry at www.elccregistry.ca includes helpful information about regulated early learning and child care programs across the province. The Early Childhood Development Association is administering the online registry as part of the preschool excellence initiative."
France's Gourmet School Lunches
Source: CBS News, September, 2010
Excerpt: "Sunday Morning's Man in Paris David Turecamo explores France's strict diet regimen within the school system's gourmet lunch menu." [video]
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After-School Programs Should Be Non-Profit, Critics Say
Source: Toronto Star, April 8, 2011
Excerpt: "Queen's Park is opening the door to the privatization of the public school system by allowing for-profit businesses to run before- and after-school programs for students in all-day kindergarten, critics warn…."Allowing privatized, for-profit operators into a publicly mandated system seems ill-considered, at best," said Olivia Nuamah, executive director of the Atkinson Charitable Foundation, which promotes a seamless, full day of learning for 4- and 5-year-olds delivered by school boards."
The Ultimate Public School Advantage: Democracy
Source: Toronto Star, April 7, 2011
Excerpt: "Is there anything public schools do that no other form of education can? Only this: Simply by being what they are, they can teach kids about the society they live in. That’s because public schools must let everyone in. What's unique about public education isn’t the education part, it's the "public." Other schools can tell kids about their society but they don’t contain it and show it…"
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Province Looks for Most Effective Preschool Practices
Source: Winnipeg Free Press, April 7, 2011
Excerpt: "Manitoba Education and Literacy is taking a hard look at boosting child learning long before kids land in the school system. On Wednesday, the province announced the creation of an Early Childhood Unit to research the best education practices around the world for preschoolers."
School Boards Given a Month to Name Full-Day Kindergarten Sites
Source: Toronto Star, April 6, 2011
Excerpt: "School boards have been given just one month to submit their list of schools to offer full-day kindergarten in 2013 and 2014 — well ahead of schedule and without knowing how much money they’ll have to accommodate students. In a memo obtained by the Star, assistant deputy minister Jim Grieve says boards have until May 6 to name the schools to "ensure a smooth and timely rollout of (full-day).""
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The Foundation is Finally Ready to Build National Child Care
Source: Ottawa Citizen, April 7, 2011
Excerpt: "While federal politicians have been busy making promises and arguing about whether Canadian families need day care, provinces have been quietly putting the foundations of such a program in place. When Canada does get some semblance of a national day-care program -and I am certain it will -it will be better integrated into the institutions Canadian families already use, namely schools, and it will be smarter and less costly than it would have been if it were created from the ground up 20 years ago."
We Need a Canada That Works for All Generations
Source: Vancouver Sun, April 5, 2011
Excerpt: "Canadians aged 25 to 44 are now living as Generation Squeeze. They are squeezed for time. They are squeezed for after housing income. And they are squeezed between an aging population, their parents and the next generation, their children….our failure to adapt now has significant consequences for their kids. …Most of the vulnerable kids are not income poor. They reside in middle-and upper-income households and neighbourhoods. Why is there so much vulnerability across the socioeconomic spectrum? Because Canadians sit idly, ignoring that poor young families have household incomes that are little better than four decades ago; all the while housing, the primary source of wealth for Boomers today, is the primary source of debt for the Squeeze Generation."
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New Schools, Innovative Gym Program Part of Largest School Capital Budget in Manitoba Hisotry
Source: Government of Manitoba, April 4, 2011 (news release)
Excerpt: "This development will begin with a stand-alone child-care facility as part of a new initiative to build more child-care facilities on school division property, he added. Early acquisition of a school site will allow for future integration of the child-care facility into an elementary school.
Alberta Backs Off Daycare Plan
Source: Daily Gleaner, April 4, 2011
Excerpt: "The Alberta government is backing off its plan to accredit all daycares in the province. Accreditation would force daycares to meet higher standards beyond licensing requirements. Most daycares, about 85 percent, are currently accredited."
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[BC] Daycare Providers Split on Merits of Funding
Source: Nanaimo Daily News (BC), April 3, 2011
Excerpt: "Receiving $45 for each child in her two Nanaimo daycare centres as part of a government grant is great news for Nicky Drummond-Hay…. Meanwhile, Joan Parsons, owner of Nanaimo's Just Like Home daycare, said she's "frustrated" that she's ineligible to receive any of the funding."
Out of Touch with Canadians
Source: Times and Transcript (NB), April 2, 2011
Excerpt: "…Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff is trying again in this federal election, which only illustrates and highlights how out of touch he is with voters and provincial realities. The details remain vague and the promise is to give half a billion dollars to provinces in year one, rising to $1 billion by year four, but that's just the beginning. Independent experts have consistently estimated that a national day care program will cost between $10 and $14 billion annually."
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Tories Say They'll Keep Daycare Promise
Source: Daily Gleaner (NB), April 1, 2011
Excerpt: "Education Minister Jody Carr is signalling that his government is preparing to lay out its plan to increase the number of daycare spaces in the province by 50 per cent. "The Progressive Conservative Party... will implement every single one of our commitments," Carr said Thursday during Question Period in the legislature."
Grit Child-Care Plan Lauded
Source: Leader-Post (SK), April 1, 2011
Excerpt: "The executive director of Stepping Stones Child Care Centres in Regina says the Liberal's plan to increase child care spaces is a step in the right direction. "It will be a huge relief to families that are on a huge waiting list to be able to get child care spots for their families," said Donna Rice."
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Ignatieff Proposes Sharply Reduced Child Care Plan
Source: National Post, March 31, 2011
Excerpt: "This idea has the merits of simplicity — it would not require hiring a new army of federal bureaucrats to administer, for example. Nor would it require formal agreements with every province. The Liberals also say they will maintain the $100 a month universal child care benefit brought in by the Tories (the program, like every other Liberal spending initiative, will be financed by increasing the corporate tax rate)."
Canadian Child Care Federation Applauds Federal Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff's Commitment to a Meaningful Child Care Plan for Real Canadian Families
Source: Marketwire, March 31, 2011 (news release)
Excerpt: "The Canadian Child Care Federation (CCCF) President, Don Giesbrecht, announced today that he welcomes Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff's commitment to early learning and child care as part of the party's lifelong learning platform in this 2011 federal election."
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