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Corporate Child Care is Not the Solution for New Brunswick
Source: Time and Transcript (NB), May 26, 2011
Excerpt: "In the 1990s, the Australian government decided to liberalize its subsidy structure so that both the non-profit and private sector child care providers could benefit from them…. Rather than decrease government investment, the government saw its costs increase over the years as it needed to continually increase fee subsidies as child care fees skyrocketed once ABC gained a large market share - in some cases, parent fees reached $2,000 per month. Outside of urban areas and affluent communities, child care remained a rare commodity. The company also pressured the government to lower quality standards to improve its bottom line…. Countries that do child care well, namely where services are widely available, affordable, inclusive and of high quality, have policies that provide for services that are publicly funded and publicly managed. They are also operated on a non-profit or public basis. None of the countries that treat child care as a private business have a track record of equitable access to high quality programs."
Obama Aims to Boost Early-Learning Programs
Source: Washington Post (US), May 25, 2011
Excerpt: "The Obama administration unveiled a competition Wednesday to spur reform among early-childhood programs and fuel spending at a time when many states are cutting funding for their youngest students. The next phase of Obama’s Race to the Top program will distribute $500 million among states that plan to expand access to early-learning programs for children from low-income families and establish clear academic goals and strong evaluation systems."
School Board Takeover of Child-Care Programs Would Leave Parents with ‘Hard Choices’
Source: Ottawa Citizen, May 24, 2011
Excerpt: "Parents fear they will pay more and get less if the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board takes over before- and after-school programs as part of the province’s new full-day kindergarten initiative. A variety of child care agencies have offered licensed programs in Ottawa schools for years and many parents think it should stay that way. "I hate to use that adage, but why reinvent the wheel?" asked Nancy Arnold."
Growing Interest in Tutor Program for Kids as Young as Three
Source: Vancouver Sun, May 24, 2011
Excerpt: "They attend classes twice a week and complete daily homework drills to sharpen their math and reading skills, but some of them have only recently mastered toilet training. Across Canada, interest is growing and enrolment following suit as parents looking to get a jump on their offspring's education register children three years old or even younger in Kumon tutoring programs…. Our society's intense focus on the importance of early childhood has given rise to the "myth" that any educational opportunity missed in the first few years is gone forever, Cameron says, but what's most crucial for children at that stage is simply bonding with those who love them. Anxiety over standardized test scores and academic expectations is creeping down to ever-younger age groups, she says, and marketers are eager to offer parents a solution."
Canadians Can’t Complain: Better Life Index
Source: Globe and Mail, May 24, 2011
Excerpt: "All in all, Canadians are a pretty comfortable and happy lot. The country ranks at or near the top in many of 11 well-being indicators in a new quality of life index, unveiled Tuesday by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. Only Australia topped Canada…. But there is room for improvement, the Better Life Index shows. From troubling levels of obesity to pressing childcare challenges and insufficient leisure time, several key fissures are standing in the way of building a better Canada."
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May Proclaimed Child Care Month, Yet Child Care Providers Face Difficult Reality
Source: The Nelson Daily (BC), May 20, 2011
Excerpt: "Did you know that the child care providers being recognized this month — as part of Child Care Month — are Early Childhood Educators whose average salary is $13.50 per hour? This does not reflect their education or the responsibility of caring for children and supporting families. The result is a shortage of these skilled professionals and fewer child care spaces available to families."
Early School Play is the Key to a Higher Standard in Young Adults
Source: The Independent (IRL), May 18, 2011
Excerpt: "The free pre-school year has boosted the numbers in pre-primary education. Now, there is a strong emphasis on improving the training of staff as well as attracting well qualified young people. A recent Government report on upskilling the workforce in early childhood care high- lighted some of the problems. It suggested that poor job conditions, low pay, the lack of clear career paths and the low status of the job, acted as a disincentive to those with a higher level of education."
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New Brunswick: Start SMART Provides Promising Beginnings for Rural Children
Source: CNW Group, May 18, 2011 (media release)
Excerpt: "An innovative new children's centre officially opened its doors here today at a local school packed with kids, parents, government and community officials…. Operating out of Keswick Valley Memorial School, the program reaches out to local families offering nine licensed child care spots and 20 spaces in its after-school program. In addition there are school-based child and parent activities, resources and information.”
[Ontario] Minister Promises Kindergarten Funds
Source: mississauga.com, May 17, 2011
Excerpt: "Dombrowsky added it was made clear to boards that funds provided for spaces in the program’s initial implementation stages were fixed amounts. If the boards decided to fill more spaces than funded, that was their choice, she noted. However, things will be a little different as the government moves to ensure province-wide implementation, she suggested. “At the end of the day, we are saying that by the year 2014 we will be providing funds for all of the students in the province of Ontario to be in full-day kindergarten," she said."
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Saskatchewan Government Allocates 500 New Child Care Spaces
Source: Government of Saskatchewan, May 16, 2011 (media release)
Excerpt: "Today, during Early Learning and Child Care Month, Education Minister Donna Harpauer announced that 13 communities have been allocated new licensed child care spaces as a result of the 2011-12 budget, which provided $2.1 million to develop 500 new child care spaces across Saskatchewan."
Challenges for Kindergarten
Source: Brampton Guardian (ON), May 12, 2011
Excerpt: "To provide all students access to full-day kindergarten in the 2014/2015 school year, Peel board officials are telling the provincial government enough funding will be needed to handle higher enrolment than expected, build new schools, and construct more classrooms. As many as 5,000 students may be left out of full-day kindergarten classes in 2014/2015 without sufficient cash, the Peel District School Board is warning."
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Toddle to the Top
Source: The Economist, May 5, 2011
Excerpt: "Arne Duncan, the education secretary, understands that states are watching every penny. Tightening budgets is the new normal, he admits, “but there are smart ways to cut and they are dumb ways to cut.” Cutting early education, he reckons, is one of the dumb ones. Mr Duncan is, in fact, making early education one of his priorities, by including it in the next round of funding for Race to the Top, the big federal programme for schools."
Public School Board Rejects Company's Bid for Space
Source: Edmonton Journal, May 12, 2011
Excerpt: "Canada's only publicly traded daycare company lost a bid Tuesday to rent space in Edmonton's public schools. Public school trustees voted to change the district's rental policy to exclude any child-care corporation that trades on the stock market. Trustees did so out of concern for local community day cares, and the scale and stability of the service."
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Corporate-Sponsored Child Care Relieves Worry for Parents
Source: Vancouver Sun, May 10, 2011
Excerpt: "Kids & Company, a Calgary-based brand that has been growing rapidly across the country since 2002, opened its first location in Vancouver on Thursday… The 10,000-sq.-ft licensed facility — with an equally large outdoor playground — can accommodate up to 100 children, from babies to 12 years-old. But what’s particularly interesting about Kids & Company is its business model. The company operates on a corporate-sponsorship model. For an annual fee of between $5,000 (for local companies) to $10,000 (for national firms), a member organization is guaranteed child-care space for its staff or, in the case of a college or university, its students."
[Canadian Labour Congress] Delegates Distribute Child Care Petition
Source: Canadian Labour Congress, May 10, 2011
Excerpt: "Delegates to the CLC convention in Vancouver are circulating a petition to the House of Commons calling upon the federal government to legislate the right to universal access to child care and to provide adequate funding for provinces and territories to create the system. The petition is available for downloading and printing here and should be sent to the appropriate Parliamentary critics when the House of Commons reconvenes."
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Daycare Safety Reports Can Be More Complete Without Jeopardizing Privacy: Critics
Source: Canadian Press, May 9, 2011
Excerpt: "The province expanded its child care website on the weekend so that it now includes up to three years of inspections for licensed centres and home-based daycares. But it has yet to deliver on a promise to include "serious" incidents such as abuse, mistreatment, injuries and deaths at daycare centres, citing privacy and legal concerns. "I don't understand how and why people who commit these serious incidents, allow them to happen, or whose facilities aren't up to standard, get a free ride," said New Democrat Michael Prue, noting that there were more than 5,000 cases of serious incidents last year."
Be Wary of Large-Scale Day Cares, Warns U of C Sociologist
Source: Calgary Herald, May 9, 2011
Excerpt: "Well-known author and University of Calgary sociologist Tom Langford is warning Alberta parents to watch out for large, corporate child care facilities coming to the province. In 2007, the Alberta government removed the 80-child cap on the maximum number of children that could be accommodated in a child care facility. With the size deregulation, Langford said corporate day care centres that look after 200 or more children are in Alberta’s immediate future."
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Inspection Reports for Ontario's Licensed Daycares Now Available Online
Source: Globe and Mail, May 8, 2011
Excerpt: "Ontario parents can now look up inspection reports for daycare centres online. The province is expanding its child care website to include up to three years of inspections for licensed centres and home-based daycares. The reports show whether a daycare stores food and medication properly, provides enough supervision and conducts enough fire drills, among other things. They also evaluate the cleanliness and safety of any equipment or furnishings. Licensed child care centres were already required to display a hard copy of the reports."
Toronto Mothers Sick of Inadequate Child Care Launch Task Force
Source: Toronto Star, May 8, 2011
Excerpt: "There seems to be a lot of talk amongst policy-makers about child care but not a lot of talk that includes mothers,˝ said Sarah Blackstock, advocacy and communications director for YWCA Toronto. ˝Mothers across this city are frustrated with the state of child care.˝ The task force, supported by the YWCA Toronto, the Toronto Women’s City Alliance and other community organizations, will conduct meetings and hearings across the city, as well as run an online survey. It will analyze the results and release a public report on Father’s Day on June 19. The group acknowledges the vital role fathers play in securing affordable child care. However, this task force will focus specifically on mothers, and how insufficient child care keeps them from returning to paid work or continuing their education, Blackstock said."
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Kindergarten Support Needed
Source: BC Local News, May 5, 2011
Excerpt: "In September all Kindergarten teachers throughout B.C. will be starting a class of four and five year olds on a full day every day program. At present there can be up to 22 children in that class. Were those same four year olds to attend a licensed daycare the staffing would be one adult for every eight children…..Presently, apart from noon hour supervision, the teacher is on his or her own, attempting to provide the high quality support and individual attention each child requires. In addition to intellectual guidance and stimulation, a typical four and five year old needs emotional support, behavior support and social support."
Studies Provide Guidance for Teaching Immigrant Preschoolers
Source: Education Week, May 5, 2011
Excerpt: "A growing number of studies are providing guidance to school districts that are increasingly looking for ways to support preschoolers from immigrant families so that they are ready for kindergarten. Recent findings from that growing body of work—including studies that examine the effectiveness of tools for measuring preliteracy, explore immigrant preschoolers’ access to early-childhood education, and analyze how immigrant children measure up with their non-immigrant peers academically, socially, and emotionally upon entering kindergarten—were presented here late last month at a conference held in tandem with the release of a special issue on immigrant children in the journal Future of Children."
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Maternal and Child Services Needed in North, Says Study
Source: Toronto Star, May 4, 2011
Excerpt: "Too many women in Canada continue to die during pregnancy or childbirth, particularly in remote northern communities, says a study by Save the Children. The international arm of Save the Children compared 164 countries in its 12th annual Mother's Index, ranking Norway in the top spot, Canada in 20th place and Afghanistan at the bottom….. Canada also lost marks because of its maternity-leave policies, though the methodology of the study sold the country somewhat short, counting only the 17 weeks of maternity leave, not the gender-neutral parental leave that allows for nearly a year off. But what really knocked Canada down the rankings was the lack of financial support for parents on leave. Canada pays only 55 per cent of wages, which is on par with Slovakia and less generous than all countries for which the numbers were available, save Greece (at 50 per cent of wages)."
UK: Getting Help with Preschool Costs
Source: UK Government
Excerpt: "All three and four year olds are entitled to 15 hours of free nursery education for 38 weeks of the year. This applies until they reach compulsory school age (the term following their fifth birthday). Free nursery education can take place in nurseries, playgroups, preschools or at their childminders."
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Childcare Must Be Protected Not Cut
Source: Guardian (UK), May 3, 2011
Excerpt: "One imaginative leap that the right always finds challenging is envisioning money as a solution to poverty. A shortage of dough might make you poor, but for conservatives it is simply unthinkable that giving you more of it might help – the root cause, they say, must be something else, whether that be divorce, irreligion or the lack of respect of the young. They, therefore, leapt on one finding of the Doing Better for Families report that the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) issued last week, namely that the UK spends more on cash benefits for families than some other nations that enjoy lower child poverty rates. Much of this expenditure, however…."
UK Spends More on Families Than Most OECD Countries
Source: Guardian (UK), April 27, 2011
Excerpt: "Britain is one of the biggest investors in families across all countries of the Organisation of Co-operation and Economic Development (OECD), according to a report looking at how governments support families. It spent 3.6% of its GDP on family benefits, compared to an OECD average of 2.2% over all benefits, in 2007. Only Denmark and France spent more, at 3.7% each…..However, in terms of better outcomes for families, such as the ability to lift children out of poverty, gender equality and family employment, Britain lags behind countries which spend less."
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