Rita Chudnovsky: Child-care crisis is a B.C. election issue
By Rita Chudnovsky
The provincial election is off and running, and once again families and communities know that childcare should be a high priority for every candidate in every riding.
After eight years of failed policies, ad hoc decisions, and inadequate funding, B.C. childcare is in a crisis. Just ask any young family in your community about their struggle to find affordable, quality care, and you will hear: Parent fees are high and rising.
In urban areas like Vancouver and Victoria, child-care fees can account for 20 percent of families’ total expenses—the second highest cost after housing. A Vancouver family with a four-year-old child in full-time childcare and a seven-year-old child in after-school care will pay at least $982 a month or $11,784 a year for childcare.
A large Vancouve-based child-care provider reports that without a significant increase in provincial funding, next year fees could be as high as $1,000 a month for three- to five-year-old children
But this is not just an urban issue. From 2001 to 2006, annual child-care fees for preschool-aged children in B.C. went up by $672. For school-aged care, the increase was more than $800.
The crisis doesn’t stop there. There still aren’t enough quality spaces.
Wait lists for quality childcare are years long. Only 14 percent of B.C. children under the age of 12 have access to a licensed child-care space. Despite government’s claims that they are creating new spaces, this is only a two percent increase since 2001 and still falls far short of the need.
And, low wages have created a staffing crisis in child care.
A recent survey of B.C.’s early childhood educators reports that almost half of these college-trained professionals earn less than $16 an hour. This includes people with 20 years experience in the field.
The B.C. child-care crisis didn’t fall from the sky. The seeds were planted in 2002 when the newly elected provincial government scrapped the $7-a-day school-aged child-care program that funded 15,000 affordable, quality spaces and cancelled plans to extend funding to care for other age groups.
Then, the government cut $40 million from its own child-care budget. These dollars were only replaced when the federal government transferred funds to B.C. that could only be spent on child care. The reality is that B.C. is spending fewer provincial dollars on childcare than in 2001.
As a result, long-time providers are teetering on the brink of closing their doors because of lack of funding. The tragic irony is that despite demand, not all spaces are filled because parents cannot afford the high fees.
It is children and families who pay the price. Some children have already lost their only chance to get a good early start. In fact, the number of children entering kindergarten who are vulnerable went up in B.C. over the last nine years.
Communities also paid the price as they were unable to attract and keep young families or fill vacant jobs because of the lack of quality, affordable child care.
Rather than implement a plan with targets and timelines for meeting B.C.’s child-care needs, the government held out the promise of all-day kindergarten but backed away because of the cost. Even this stalled initiative ignored the child-care needs of the majority of B.C. families who need full time early care and learning so that they can work.
The good news is that there are solutions. Other developed countries have systems that meet children’s developmental needs and the needs of working families. Shamefully, Canada ranks last amongst developed countries on our investment in child care.
This provincial election is an ideal time to put this issue front and centre on every party’s agenda and to find solutions for B.C.
B.C. families are looking for candidates who are committed to solving the crisis. We are looking for candidates who understand that investment in childcare is an essential part of an economic recovery strategy. It creates jobs for women and men, helps families during stressful times, and promotes healthy child development which reduces costs down the road.
For any enlightened politician, it should be a no-brainer. This election, let’s make sure that it gets done!
Rita Chudnovsky is a consultant with the Coalition of Child Care Advocates of B.C.
Comments
6 Comments
Jeff g
Apr 30, 2009 at 1:41pm
Sorry - can't agree with those that want to provide a huge subsidy to some parents, and leave other stuggling families without any support.
What about families that have one parent at home, and are struggling to get by on one income. In these tough economic times this is a huge issue.
The whole "provide subisdized daycare for all" approach is unfair? Why should a family with one income just getting by help pay (through their hard earned taxes) for cheap daycare for a couple of married lawyers?
Deal with the issue of supporting familes that need help, regardless of whether or not both, one, or no parents are working. Provide sufficient, direct financial assistance based on INCOME. Its the only fair way.
Drina Read
May 1, 2009 at 2:40pm
The BC Green Party will protect children by securing universal, safe, and affordable child care and create tax benefits for companies that provide on-site childcare, flex-hours, and job sharing. To correct the lack of support for families, the Green Party would:
· prioritize the spending of federal dollars for universally accessible and affordable pre-school education to areas where the need is greatest, such as inner-city schools
· provide full funding for all-day kindergarten
· expand support to non-profit societies that deliver early literacy programs to engage families with preschool aged children
· move towards qualification-based pay parity between preschool and other teachers in the school system
Child care is a priority. Our children's future depends on it.
Drina Read
BC Green Party candidate, Vancouver-West End
Vote Yes for BC-STV
Vicky
May 3, 2009 at 5:56pm
I disagree to this. I was connected with an agency when I started my day care. The rate that the parents are paying me now is less than what parents were paying that agency almost 15yrs. ago based onthe east Van. rate. The parents in my center even told me to increase my rate because of the things that are provided aside from the excellent care and services given to them and their children. The main problem here is there are NO space and also the kind of regulations implemented to us FCCproviders wherein, not all of us can fill in the space for 48month old children. The gov't already increased the subsidy for low income families.
R. Cortez
May 13, 2009 at 12:19am
I've been running family child care for almost 5 years now and my main delima at the moment is to fill in those 48 months and over children that the regulation is telling us to do. The new Regs. doesn't make sense and not creating spaces but LIMITING us even more.! My three years in the field, I have no problem what-so-ever, what I'm facing right now is due to the changes in the Regs. that was launched last year. The Regs. is not logical, it is creating more difficulty for parents to put even their second child in the SAME daycare.
My fee is not even high enough to compare and yet the services and the long hours I provide is way more competitive to other center/preschool. Just the seasonal fruits and veggies for snack, home made cooking for lunches and the many educational materials the children uses and the NO TV policy can get me clients easily.
Unfortunately....not happening this time. So, to meet the livelyhood...shall I raise my fees? I don't think so...maybe close up...change career...apply for government help.??
that Girl
Jan 20, 2011 at 9:47am
To Vicky, your crazy.. What do you mean you were asked to increase your rates? That doesn't make any sense. When a child is born, it needs to be taken care of. The parent/parents must work to provide food and shelter, while at work the child needs to be taken care of. It is a MUST. Now, some families just CANNOT afford $600-$700 a month, which I personally think is ridiculous. A low income family, struggling to pay 700 a month for daycare will have to explain to their child why their going without certain things that other more fortunate kids have, just to pay for childcare. How sad is that. The government has TONS of money and he decides to raise prices for childcare? Selfish bastard. I do agree however that assistance should be provided only for those in need, if a family has two incomes and can afford that ridiculous amount of money each month, then good for them. But that is just not realistic in this day and age. And whose to say a family should struggle just to unsure their child is taken care of properly, that should be a right!
Paul
Feb 23, 2013 at 3:24pm
I am studying early childhood development at university. Research about children at a young age enrolled in full time day care negatively affects thier development and causes later aggression. This is compounded when quality is not available. The more adult supervisor to the ratio of children the better. Longer childcare leave for parents or more flexible hours is best with less days in daycare. The missing piece is that children need contact with parents or caring available adults. That means if there is all day kindergarden that parents should be participating. Maybe more daycares near the workplace.