"Women have been waiting for over thirty years," says Kirstin Lund, Chairperson of the PEI Advisory Council on the Status of Women. "It is time to support early childhood care and education." That is the main message of a policy package released by the Council in Summerside today.
Ms. Lund explains, "Back in 1970, the Royal Commission on the Status of Women recommended a national child care program as a means to support women in their dual roles as caregivers and paid workers. Our country acknowledged the reality that women were a permanent part of the workforce and, therefore, we had to change the way we provided care to our children. The need seemed obvious."
"Here we are in 2003, a generation later," say Ms. Lund, "And what has changed?"
Not much, according to the policy package. It notes that child care is a provincial responsibility and that a lot of Island women have worked hard over the past thirty years to develop the required infrastructure. But, their work never received sufficient public investment or political interest. Without those supports, progress stalled and now we have an early childhood sector that is described as "fragile" and women still scramble to find appropriate care for their children and to pay for that service.
The climate began to shift in the late 1990s when children's issues became part of government agendas. In 2000, Prince Edward Island signed the National Children's Agenda and the Early Childhood Development Initiative and launched its own Healthy Child Development Strategy that included delivering a universal kindergarten program. This year, the Province signed the Multilateral Framework on Early Learning and Child Care. This framework allocates $935 million over five years for child care and education programs in Canada. PEI will receive $100,000 in the first year with increments over the next four years in order to improve access to regulated child care.
A lot of child care advocates are hailing these developments as a "good start." The PEI Advisory Council on the Status of Women has chosen this time to remind Islanders that early childhood care and education is a women's equality issue, too, and that Island women need their government's support. Accordingly, they are making some recommendations to the Province of PEI for strategic actions that will help the Island move towards the goal of improved access to quality care, thereby supporting women's equality.
To make the early childhood care and education sector visible:
Provide the Early Childhood Development Association with the resources required to provide leadership and support to the sector and to work collaboratively with government.
In collaboration with the Early Childhood Development Association, initiate a public information/awareness program on the value of early childhood care and education.
To make child care and education services available and accessible:
Provide financial and training incentives for more licensed child care spaces, including home day care providers.
Provide financial support to licensed centres that provide flexible care options.
Provide financial support so that kindergarten programs can provide transportation.
To make child care and education services affordable:
Review and increase parent subsidies.
Continue to work with the federal government towards the goal of a universal national program.
To improve the quality of child care and education services:
Review and increase operating grants to centres for wage enhancement and to maintain health and safety standards.
Provide the Early Childhood Development Association with the resources required to offer continuing education opportunities.
Update the Child Care Facilities Act and Regulations.
Increase provincial government staffing to support quality initiatives.
To make child care and education services more inclusive:
In addition to basic operating grants, provide early childhood care and education centres with financial support for programs in rural areas, to provide programming for special needs children, and to offer culturally supportive programs.
Offer support to Aboriginal communities in developing and delivering licensed care.
To provide for parent choice in child care and education services:
Support communities in developing a continuum of care that supports children's rights, parents' rights, and the rights of early childhood educators.
"Thirty years is a long time to wait but it's never to late to do the right thing," concludes Ms. Lund.
Copies of the policy guide and supporting materials may be obtained by contacting the Advisory Council office.