News: September 2011 Archives

NL: Where Have All the Children Gone?
Source: Western Star (NL), September 28, 2011

Excerpt: "It's a sign that we've moved to "have" province status that "new job creation has grown faster than the number of new job seekers entering the workforce." This is exciting news…. Unfortunately, theory and reality don’t match up…. But with over half of part-time workers saying they are working part-time because of lack of childcare and one quarter of all families saying they’ve turned down jobs or training because they need to stay home to care for a child, there will be no women filling those empty jobs and propelling that growth.... So our province has a problem, it has women dominating the jobs with fastest growth and highest coming attrition rates. And it has women who are not seeking work because they have no one to care for their children. And it has a population that is aging and will need support from population growth and younger workers."

SK: Parents Upset Over Daycare Changes
Source: cbc.ca, September 27, 2011

Excerpt: "Some parents in Saskatoon are scrambling after local daycares told them they could no longer care for their children. The Saskatchewan government distributed a letter on Sept. 16 saying unlicensed daycares can only look after a maximum of five preschool-aged children, regardless of how many workers are on staff. Violating that limit could result in a $300 fine per day..."

Back to top>

Excerpt: "The first rule of any self-respecting target is that it should remain static. In this, the millennium development goals (MDGs) have performed admirably since their inception in 2000. But what happens if our understanding of how to meet a target changes? Should we shift the goalposts accordingly? The publication in Friday's Lancet of a series on early child development (ECD) raises just that question in relation to the MDGs. The two-part series draws on new science and evidence to transform our understanding of the tremendous benefits of programming for under-fives, and the risks of inaction."

ON: School Board’s Child-Care Plans Could Affect Hundreds of Families
Source: Ottawa Citizen, September 21, 2011

Excerpt: "Despite the Ministry of Education’s change in direction, the OCDSB has indicated that its preferred option, at least from staff's perspective, would be for the board to deliver extended care as an integrated program for four- and five-year-olds and for children aged six to 12, depending on demand…. These licensed, third-party providers are popular with parents, offer subsidies for families who can’t afford the service and cost less for families who can, Arnold said. "Why (the OCDSB) think they’'e going to do a better job is not clear to me,” she said."

Back to top>

Save the Children! No, Like Really
Source: The Independent (NFLD), September 20, 2011

Excerpt: "With the flood of provincial election coverage, it can be hard for the average voter to keep track of everything that’s going on… But one little piece of news that shouldn’t get lost in the wash is a press release that came out earlier this week.... The Vector Poll – commissioned by CUPE Newfoundland and Labrador, which represents a number of unionized childcare workers – surveyed the province's voters about their views on child care; but perhaps more importantly, it surveyed them about their experiences with child care, as well. And it painted the most graphic picture yet of just how big a childcare crisis this province is beginning to face."

89% of NL Parents with Child Care-Aged Children Support a Public System: New Poll
Source: Marketwire / CUPE, September 19, 2011 (news release)

Excerpt: "A new, province-wide poll on child care in Newfoundland and Labrador shows that families with young kids strongly support the idea of a public system. CUPE NL President Wayne Lucas says, "At every income level, NL parents soundly support (89%) having the provincial government set up child care programs as part of the public school system."

Back to top>

Excerpt: "Almost 400 child care centres have closed across Ontario since the last provincial election in 2007 and advocates say many more are at risk if the province doesn’t shore up the chronically underfunded system. “This wave of closures — almost four centres a week — is just the tip of the iceberg and we are calling on all the parties to commit to solving the child care crisis,” said Andrea Calver of the Ontario Coalition for Better Child Care."

ON: The Missing Issue: Important Questions About Education Ignored in Election Campaign
Source: Toronto Sun, September 13, 2011

Excerpt: "Kim Campbell's infamous line about elections not being a time to discuss serious issues may have stated reality, but that’s no reason for us to stop trying. In that spirit, I gladly accepted an invitation last spring to moderate one of the many "Education Day" all-candidates debates being coordinated across the province by the Ontario Public School Boards Association (OPSBA). Mine's on Sept. 20. … My enthusiasm, however, hasn’t been shared by all the candidates for MPP. There's already been some fuss in Toronto about how few Conservative candidates are attending."

Back to top>

Excerpt: "Ontario school trustees are giving some Tory candidates an F for failing to sign up for special debates on education to be held Sept. 20 across the province. At least four Toronto District School Board trustees say their local Progressive Conservative candidates are refusing to take part in all-candidates’ meetings on education — despite the debates being announced last May by the provincial trustee association — and at least six more Toronto trustees say Tory candidates are the only ones they have been unable to nail down."

Liberal Party Platform Pledges Additional Investment in Early Childhood Programs
Source: Liberal Party of PEI, September 9, 2011 (news release)

Excerpt: ""Education is the key to our future - and the emphasis we have placed on programs will continue if the Liberal Team is offered the privilege of governing for the next four years," the Premier said…  The Liberal Plan for Education begins at birth - and extends through Grade-12, the Premier said. "When you couple this plan with our program for higher education, it is clear that the Liberal commitment is to a lifetime of education.""

Back to top>

Excerpt: "Licensing history can be one indication of quality, especially if there are a series of provisional licences with failing grades in compliance areas, child care experts say. But a licence is no guarantee of quality and in the case of Markham Village, doesn’t ensure safety, either. Far more important, they say, is staff qualifications and the question of profit. Volumes of Canadian and international research over several decades show that for-profit centres generally deliver poorer quality care than non-profit or public daycares…"

NFLD: Two Family Foundations Give $300,000 to Memorial University for Research
Source: Jimmy Pratt Foundation, September 6, 2011 (news release)

Back to top>

Child Development in Developing Countries
Source: The Lancet, September 23, 2011

Description: "Four years after The Lancet published a first Series on early child development, the challenge of supporting 200 million children under five years to reach their developmental potential remains. A new Series of two papers and a Comment now documents progress worldwide. The Series aims to identify gaps in implementation and coverage of interventions, calculate the economic costs of missed investment in early learning programmes, and present new evidence on the causes and effects of developmental inequities in early childhood."

Early Childhood Education and Care in Ontario - Provincial Political Party Platforms: A Report Card
Source: Ontario Coalition for Better Child Care

Excerpt: "This report challenges our nation’s policy makers to transform public education by moving from a K-12 to a Pre-K-12 system. This vision is grounded in rigorous research and informed by interviews with education experts, as well as lessons from Pew’s decade-long initiative to advance high-quality pre-kindergarten for all three and four year olds. The report also reflects work by leading scholars and institutions to identify the knowledge and skills students need to succeed in school and the teaching practices that most effectively develop them. Together, these analyses and perspectives form a compelling case for why America’s education system must start earlier, with pre-k, to deliver the results that children, parents and taxpayers deserve."

ON:  Key Facts on Full-Day K and Licensed Child Care
Source: Government of Ontario, September 2011

Description:  These two documents describe Ontario’s Full-Day Kindergarten and "the transfer of responsibility for child care from the Ministry of Children and Youth Services (MCYS) to the Ministry of Education, to create an integrated system and support transitions for children and families."

• "OntarioGov_Licensed child care in Ontario--key facts--writ period" (pdf)
• "OntarioGov_Full-day kindergarten--key facts--writ period" (pdf)

Back to top>

Excerpt: "Although you may have forgotten your earliest experiences before school, they continue to affect many aspects of your life, perhaps your comfort with math or even the size of your paycheck. Early childhood education research is focused on understanding these impacts, both near- and long-term. A special section of the 19 August 2011 Science details what is known about these processes and programs, and what remains to be explored." (Note: Most articles require a subscription.)

An Investigation of the Career Paths of Internationally Trained Early Childhood Educators Transitioning into Early Learning Programs
Source: Atkinson Centre for the AECEO, September 2011

Description: The current research initiative examines the pathway to employment in the field of early childhood education for internationally trained professionals. In particular, the study's aim is to investigate the experiences of internationally trained professionals in the ECE Bridging Program (first step in the accreditation process in Ontario for internationally trained educators). The study also explored the experiences of participants in applying for jobs prior to and after achieving their ECE equivalency. The second goal was to explore whether international education credentials had any impact on employability. The study brought together a community consortium working on the project and the Atkinson Centre at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) was contracted to complete the research project with support from the Dr. Eric Jackman Institute of Child Study.

Back to top>

Community Service System in Toronto Neighbourhoods: What Should the City Pay Attention To?
Source: Centre for Research on Inner City Health, September 2011-09-22

Description: "Torontonians want non-profit organizations to provide programs and services in their neighbourhoods that are relevant to their needs, held at convenient times and locations and have
stable funding, a research study has found. People under 25 and without post-secondary education also want these organizations to help them find jobs and become financially stable, the study found."

Vital Communities, Vital Support: How Well Do Canada’s Communities Support Parents of Young Children?
Source: Invest In Kids, Phoenix Centre for Children and Families, September 2011

Description: "We are pleased to send you the Phase 1 and Phase 2 reports of the Vital Communities, Vital Support study, an exploration of how well Canada's communities support parents of young children - from the parents' point of view.  The reports are the work of Invest in Kids, a national charitable organization focused on transforming the way Canada educates and supports parents of young children. Unfortunately Invest in Kids closed in October 2010, just as the Phase 2 report was nearing completion... Fortunately, The Phoenix Centre for Children and Families… assumed leadership for many of Invest in Kids' products, including this study's reports.  With the generous assistance of The Lawson Foundation, the Phoenix Centre is able to provide you with both Phase 1 and Phase 2 reports of the Vital Communities, Vital Support study."

Phase 2: What Parents Tell Us>

Back to top>

Excerpt: "Many have referred to FDK as “The gift of Time” for Kindergarten children to enrich their experience with deeper learning that supports their development and future school experience. This research study was designed to provide the system with insight into the first year of FDK: how it was received by parents; the difference it made for children’s learning; the hurdles that were surpassed; the resources and facility issues; the creative solutions teachers proposed; and how the system coped with implementation by approximately half the schools in the province."

Children and Violence Evaluation Challenge Fund – Call for Proposals
Source: The Children and Violence Evaluation Challenge Fund

Description: "...a joint and new initiative of OAK Foundation, Bernard van Leer Foundation and UBS Optimus Foundation is now reality. The Children and Violence Evaluation Challenge Fund is an initiative aimed at reducing the prevalence of violence against children by funding quality evaluations of violence prevention and child protection interventions in low- and middle-income countries. These evaluations are expected to generate a solid evidence base that will be used to improve child protection programming and policies, thus ultimately contributing to prevent and reduce violence in the lives of children."

Call for proposals: The Children and Violence Evaluation Challenge Fund is glad to announce its first call for proposals aimed at funding quality evaluations of violence prevention programmes in low- and middle- income countries. Link>

Back to top>