|
Ignatieff Vows To Spend $500-Million on Childcare in First Budget
Source: Globe and Mail, March 31, 2011
Excerpt: "Michael Ignatieff released a new childcare strategy Thursday that would see a Liberal government invest $500-million in its first budget to create new daycare spaces. It would be a cost-sharing program with the provinces and territories but the details so far are very sketchy. The fund – the “Early Childhood Learning and Care Fund” – would rise to $1-billion annually by the fourth year if the Liberals form government, according to background documents circulated to reporters by Ignatieff officials."
Poverty, Child Care Should Top Political Agenda
Source: Edmonton Journal, March 30, 2011
Excerpt: "Canadians will head to the polls again on May 2. Unfortunately, the main news headlines about the upcoming election are as predictable as they are discouraging…. As we head to the polls for the fourth time in seven years there are important matters to consider and critical questions to ask of our politicians. At the top of the agenda should be two issues the major political parties have all failed to address despite much rhetoric and promised action: first, the continued tragedy of child and family poverty; and second, the failure to introduce a national child-care strategy…. Given that the vast majority of young children now spend much of their early years in some form of non-parental care, the absence of national leadership in this area remains mystifying."
Postsecondary Education Steals Spotlight From All-Day Kindergarten in Ontario Budget
Source: Toronto Star, March 30, 2011
Excerpt: "Ontario’s 2011 budget announced no new funds for full-day kindergarten, leaving lingering questions about whether the province can afford the retrofits and renovations necessary to roll out the program to crowded and aging schools…. The government has already announced a total of $420-million for retrofits, but much of that money was initially tagged for the first and second years of the roll-out, raising questions about whether resources will be stretched too thin and construction can begin in time."
[New Brunswick] Students Want Province to Recognize Training
Source: Daily Gleaner (NB), March 30, 2011
Excerpt: "Some students from Eastern College say they're disappointed that the childcare training program they've completed doesn't qualify for a funding supplement offered by the provincial government. "It's a two-year program with a lot of material. What alarms us is that (the program does) recognize people with degrees that have no training with childcare (components). If you're a parent, do you want your child cared for by someone who excelled in philosophy but may not know how to work with a child who has attention-deficit disorder?""
Tax Break for Stay-At-Home Parents Doesn’t Help Most Families
Source: Vancouver Sun, March 29, 2011
Excerpt: "Others point out that what’s fair depends on how you look at the issue. In straight dollar terms, the single-earner family suffers under the current system. But if you consider the labour a stay-at-home spouse is able to contribute to a family’s quality of life, the definition of fair starts to change. That labour is usually considered an unpaid contribution, but in the context of the goods and services parents provide for their families, it also has to be seen as untaxed, which is a significant benefit."
[Quebec] Home Daycare Providers Score Deal to Smile About
Source: Global Toronto, March 25, 2011
Excerpt: "Chantal Racicot has a lot to be smiling about. On Thursday, she and two other home daycare colleagues witnessed the signing of a new deal that will substantially improve their working conditions… The three are among 15,000 home daycare providers that will receive tens of millions of dollars in new subsidies. They're also getting eight new paid holidays, for a total of 24 days off per year."
Toronto Residents Can Now Apply for Child Care Services Online or Through 311
Source: City of Toronto, March 24, 2011 (news release)
Excerpt: "The City of Toronto's Children's Services division now offers two new options for parents to apply for a child care subsidy or space within a municipal child care centre. They can either apply online at http://www.toronto.ca/children or call 311, and both options are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week."
Edleun Commences National Expansion Through Acquisition of Six Centre in British Columbia
Source: Edleun, March 24, 2011 (news release)
Excerpt: "Edleun Group, Inc. … a leading Canadian operator, consolidator and developer of child care facilities, announced today that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire six centres in the Greater Vancouver and Kelowna, British Columbia markets. Edleun currently owns and operates 20 centres in Alberta. The Company continues to process an active pipeline of potential acquisitions and opportunities to develop new centres as part of a sustainable growth strategy that will provide families with greater options and access to high quality educational childcare."
Atkinson Centre Convenes an Early Years Task Force
The Atkinson Centre is convening an Early Years Task Force, bringing together experts to develop a comprehensive approach to the implementation of an early years framework in Ontario, including extended day programs and child and family centres. The Task force will focus on the following goal:
-
Building closer connections between evidence-based research and practice with the purpose of informing the establishment of high quality, seamless day early years programs for children and families
Objectives:
-
To share lessons and identify supports for school board operated extended day programs
-
To work with non-profit organizations to support high quality seamless day programs in school-based extended day programs during the transitional period
-
To provide expertise to municipalities, post-secondary institutions, school boards and nonprofit organizations to develop effective child and family centres.
For more information, please check back here for regular updates.
Back to top>
Federal Budget Ignores Child Care Yet Again
Source: Sault Star (ON), March 23, 2011
Excerpt: "Once again a federal government has failed Canadian families -- particularly women and children -- by refusing to address a national child-care strategy in its budget. The need to provide affordable daycare across the country is so well documented there is no acceptable argument that can justify the incompetence demonstrated by the government in its fusal to invest in a national program. The only explanations that don't defy logic are that the average age of a Canadian parliamentarian is over 50, and only 22% of MPs are women. In other words, the country is being run, primarily, by old men who either don't get it or don't care."
Saskatchewan Budget 2011: Education, ESL, and Child Care Spending Details
Source: Global Regina, March 23, 2011
Excerpt: "In the 2011-12 budget, Education will see an increase of $119.3 million from last year, bringing its total to $1.43 billion….$2.1 million: to develop 500 new child care spaces this year. It will increase licensed spaces to 12,700, up 4.1 per cent. $4 million: to support development of 500 new child care spaces, with some designated to post-secondary institutions. $2.6 million: develop an addition 40 Pre-Kindergarten programs, increasing number to 270 and provide new spaces for up to 640 three and four-year-old children targeted in high needs areas."
Back to top>
[BC] Child-Care Providers Receive Funds During Transition to Full-Day Kindergarten
Source: The Straight (BC), March 23, 2011
Excerpt: "About 900 licensed child-care providers will receive funding to help them transition during what is expected to be a drop in enrolment once full-day kindergarten is implemented across B.C. in September, the province announced today (March 23). But according to the executive director of the Early Childhood Educators of British Columbia, the funding won't address broader concerns for the child-care sector."
[Nfld] Throne Speech Charts Safe, Stable Course
Source: The Telegram, March 22, 2011
Excerpt: ""My government is moving forward to develop a comprehensive child care strategy for Newfoundland and Labrador so more families will have opportunities to make balanced choices," Crosbie said. "In this year’s budget, my government will announce a significant initiative in child care, with a focus on infant care, with the potential to increase child care spaces.""
Back to top>
All-Day Kindergarten Pushed Ahead on Manitoba School Boards Association Agenda
Source: Global Winnipeg, March 18, 2011
Excerpt: "Manitoba school boards pushed their demand for all-day kindergarten up a notch today, during a major meeting in Winnipeg. During the annual convention of the Manitoba School Boards Association, trustees from across the province voted heavily in favour of asking the Selinger government to fund all-day kindergarten programs."
[Quebec] Daycare: 15,000 New Spaces Promised
Source: Montreal Gazette, March 18, 2011
Excerpt: "The Quebec government announced Thursday plans to create 15,000 new subsidized daycare spaces, but parents will not have access to them until at least 2012. The Liberals had promised during the 2008 election campaign that 15,000 new daycare spaces would be available by 2013."
Back to top>
Liberal Claims Ignore Child Care Realities in B.C.
Source: The Vancouver Courier, March 18, 2011
Excerpt: "In response to Minister Mary Polak's glowing description of how wonderful services are for children and families in British Columbia, I can only wonder aloud exactly where it is that she gets her information…. But parents on long waiting lists are desperate to know what quality options they have, and parents struggling to pay $1,000 a month for toddler care would like to know what affordable options they have… as lovely as Strong Start drop-in programs are--they do not help working parents who need child care spaces."
Alison Gopnik: Why Preschool Shouldn't Be Like School
Source: Slate Magazine, March 16, 2011
Excerpt: "Ours is an age of pedagogy. Anxious parents instruct their children more and more, at younger and younger ages, until they're reading books to babies in the womb. They pressure teachers to make kindergartens and nurseries more like schools. So does the law—the 2001 No Child Left Behind Act explicitly urged more direct instruction in federally funded preschools."
Back to top>
Avenir D'Enfants Supports Three New Knowledge Transfer Projects
Source: Avenir d’enfant, March 8, 2011 (news release)
Translation of French news release: "At its last meeting on February 25, the Board of Directors of Avenir d'enfants decided to provide financial support for three new knowledge transfer projects, representing a total of almost $2.4M over two years.
Community Childcare Centres
Backed by the Association of Community Childcare Centres of Quebec (AHGCQ), the project aims to create an education program tailored to the needs of childcare centres (for example: multi-aged clientele), to disseminate the program in the region and to organize workshops for care providers on specific topics such as educational intervention and communication with parents. The latter topic is of crucial importance as their clientele of over 40,000 children is known to come from the most disadvantaged sectors of society (recipients of Social Assistance, immigrant families, part-time workers, students etc.) The project is set to last for two years and will receive funding of $272,800.
Projet Victoires
Backed by the Network of Perinatal Resource Centres of Quebec (RCRPQ), Projet Victoires aims to document the effects of the services offered by perinatal resource centres on the lives of families living in poverty. Additionally, the findings will help in the development of training opportunities for care providers and in the dissemination of best practices. The project will last for two years and will receive financial support of $150,000.
Quality in Childcare Centres and Coordinating Offices
Backed by The Quebec Association of Child Care Centres (AQCPE), this project aims to accompany, support and encourage care providers in childcare centres and coordinating offices in their efforts to improve quality and form regional hubs of skills and expertise in early education and childcare. The project is to last for a year and a half, and will receive financial support of almost $2M."
French news release>
March Break Looks Bleak for Early Childhood Educators in Ontario
Source: Atkinson Centre
Excerpt: "As March break rolls around and teachers get ready for a well earned paid break from their classrooms, early childhood educators in Full Day Early Learning Kindergarten programs across the province are still unsure about whether they will get paid for the break or even qualify for Employment Insurance. The issue of whether early childhood educators are deemed to be full-time early education professionals like teachers, or whether they are treated as ten-month contract positions is still to be resolved...."
Back to top>
[Ontario] Election All About Kindergarten: MacDonald
Source: Toronto Sun, March 16, 2011
Excerpt: "And never mind other pressing education issues — things like school busing and fixing up aging school buildings. It’s that sort of thing that will take a backseat — if it gets attention at all — to bright and shiny (and expensive) policies like full-day kindergarten, or smaller primary grade class sizes, introduced by the Liberals in their first mandate."
States Spend Almost Four Times More on Incarcerating Prisoners than Educating Students, Studies Say
Source: Fox News, March 14, 2011
Excerpt: "In analyzing two separate reports from the Department of Justice and the National Education Association conducted over similar periods, research shows California spends about $47,000 per inmate while only spending about $9,000 for every student enrolled. New York State spends about $56,000 per inmate and approximately $16,000 for every student in the school system. Michigan pays about $34,000 for every prisoner and about $11,000 for a student."
Back to top>
Sask. Ranks Last in Providing Regulated Child-Care Spaces
Source: Leader-Post (SK), March 8, 2011
Excerpt: "The gender gap in Canada is closing, but as more women graduate from university and enter the workforce than ever before, the social policy gap is widening, say local child-care advocates….The local YWCA released Educated, Employed and Equal… The YWCA and child-care advocates want a comprehensive and well-funded national child-care strategy so parents are able to work while raising their children…. In a 2008 study, Saskatchewan had licensed child-care spots for 9.1 per cent of children between the ages of zero and five, compared to the 20.3 per cent national average, the report states."
Fate of All-Day Kindergarten in Hands of Ontario Voters
Source: Toronto Star, March 7, 2011
Excerpt: "The future of Ontario’s fledgling all-day kindergarten program will be determined in the October election. As the signature policy of Liberal Premier Dalton McGuinty's second term is slowly phased in across the province, the opposition Progressive Conservatives are refusing to commit to its full implementation. Tory Leader Tim Hudak said Monday that expanding full-day learning for 4- and 5-year-olds throughout Ontario is "going to be contingent on the finances that are left behind.""
Back to top>
Lack of Child Care Costing Canada: Report
Source: Toronto Star, March 6, 2011
Excerpt: "Unless more men start raising babies Canada is going to be a poorer place, says a new report that looks at problems facing mothers in the workforce. The alternative is to launch a national child-care program, says the report by YWCA Canada. It is due to be released Monday, the day before International Women's Day. "The prosperity of the nation is intimately tied to the labour force participation of an educated, skilled workforce that is becoming increasingly female," says the report."
Premier Says Daycare Spots Crucial to Province's Future
Source: Daily Gleaner (NB), March 4, 2011
Excerpt: "The premier took time out from daylong budget discussions with cabinet to attend a daycare opening in Oromocto.”The reality is this is about the future here in New Brunswick,” he said. Alward didn't reveal anything about what steps the government will take in its March 22 budget, but he said they are slogging through it. “It is not an easy process. The fact that we will be going from (what) would have been a deficit of over $1 billion at a starting point ... is not easy,” he said…. Alward and Carr also reiterated the provincial government has promised to increase the number of childcare spaces available in the province to 30,000."
Back to top>
Half-day K: A Private School Has Been Created to Offer Half-Day Kindergarten
Source: Langley Advance (BC), March 4, 2011
Excerpt: "Jenny Daraska has been hired to teach. O’Reilly said that, in addition to that experienced and qualified teacher, the program will have a teacher aide. The classes will be limited to 20 students. The cost is $150 for registration (which includes uniforms and supplies) and $350 per month tuition. O’Reilly said the school does not receive any government funding, it is a private kindergarten owned by the dance school. That allows the kindergarten to offer music and dance components. It is also offering enhanced reading, physical activity, and field trips."
Full-Day Learning Shortfall One for Liberal Score Card
Source: London Free Press (ON), March 4, 2011
Excerpt: "The province giveth and the province taketh away.Or in some cases, giveth but not giveth quite enough.That's the sad lesson for the Thames Valley District school board, and an all too common one in Ontario…. The province happily released this week a list of new schools approved for the program in 2012 -- 900 in total across Ontario….In London, the announcement translates into 36 Thames Valley schools approved for full-day kindergarten. Great news, correct? Not quite. As usual there is a catch, and as usual the catch is in the funding. The province is giving $7.8 million to the public board to renovate schools to handle full-day kindergarten. The public board was hoping for $11 million."
Back to top>
Government Considers Move to All-Day Kindergarten, Half-Day Preschool
Source: Central Plains Daily Leader (MB), March 3, 2011
Excerpt: "This week, the government posted a poll on their website asking parents if they agree or disagree with the idea of implementing mandatory full-day Kindergarten for children aged 5, and mandatory half-day preschool for children aged four. There are several multiple choice answers. Education Minister Nancy Allan said this is an idea the province has been considering for a while but hasn't had any serious discussion."
Ontario to Extend All-Day Kindergarten to Another 900 Schools
Source: Globe and Mail, March 2, 2011
Excerpt: 'The McGuinty government is rolling out full-day kindergarten to another 900 schools in Ontario by September, 2012, making the program available to almost half of the province's four- and five-year-olds.The program, a centrepiece of Premier Dalton McGuinty's government, was launched last September at about 600 schools. Another 200 schools will be added next September."
Back to top>
Full-Day Kindergarten 2012-13 (Year 3) Site Selection Confirmation [Memo - pdf]
Source: Ministry of Education, Early Learning Division, March 2, 2011
Excerpt: "In 2012/13, we will reach the midpoint of implementation of Full-Day Early Learning Kindergarten (FDK). At this stage, approximately 49% of kindergarten students in Ontario will be participating in the program. This is a tremendous achievement made possible by the dedication and hard work of District School Boards, Consolidated Municipal Service Managers/District Social Services Administration Boards, and Best Start Networks."
Survey Seeks Input on All-Day Kindergarten
Source: cbc.ca, March 1, 2011
Excerpt: "The Manitoba government is considering all-day kindergarten and is seeking the public's input on the idea. An online survey with multiple choice answers has been posted on the government website, along with a variety of other questions "about ways to make the province's education system better."
Back to top>
Advocates Urged Daycare Funding Increase in Windsor and Essex County
Source: Windsor Star (ON), March 1, 2011
Excerpt: "The price of daycare in Ontario could skyrocket if the province doesn’t invest millions of dollars into the child care system in this year’s budget, say labour and child care advocates. Ontario Federation of Labour president Sid Ryan and Ontario Coalition for Better Child Care co-ordinator Andrea Calver are touring the province to draw attention to the need for ongoing funding for child care.”
Leaving Children Behind
Source: New York Times (US), February 27, 2011-03-01
Excerpt: "Now, politicians — and especially, in my experience, conservative politicians — always claim to be deeply concerned about the nation’s children….In practice, however, when advocates of lower spending get a chance to put their ideas into practice, the burden always seems to fall disproportionately on those very children they claim to hold so dear. Consider, as a case in point, what’s happening in Texas, which more and more seems to be where America’s political future happens first….While low spending may sound good in the abstract, what it amounts to in practice is low spending on children, who account directly or indirectly for a large part of government outlays at the state and local level. And in low-tax, low-spending Texas, the kids are not all right. The high school graduation rate, at just 61.3 percent…"
Back to top>
|
