Kids First Canada: Current Issues and Action


Learn what's happening in research, politics and propaganda: Daycare Fact & Fiction, Ideology & Agendas This in-depth report was compiled by H. Ward, President of Kids First Parent Association of Canada. The latest June 2006 update is available as a pdf document. Also available are a condensed version with references and links (updated March 2009), and a condensed version with no references. UNICEF Report on Daycare Income Splitting/Family Taxation Good News Daycare Promotion by Corporate Right and Neo-Cons/Neo-Liberals All-Day Kindergarten, Data Collection, Privacy Violation, UBC's HELP & the EDI Breastfeeding vs Infant Formula Industry Daycare: Safety, Health, and Developmental Concerns 2008 Federal Election and Daycare Child Poverty Issues Cuts to BC Community Non-Profit Organizations Serving Children, Families, Handicapped Other Issues UNICEF Report on Daycare Innocenti Centre/OECD Report promotes daycare yet says it harms child development Read the report, "The child care transition: a league table of early childhood education and care in economically advanced countries." Innocenti Report Card, 8. Published by the Innocenti Centre, now a department of UNICEF. Written by Peter Adamson drawing on research by John Bennett from the OECD's daycare agency. "Childcare is bad for your baby, working parents are warned: A Unicef study suggests that government policy is at odds with the developmental needs of children under 12 months." December 11, 2008 London Times article on the report. Kids First commentary: Daycare Lobby Co-Opting the UNICEF Brand: Children and Parents' Rights Wronged Metro article by daycare lobbyist Martha Friendly "Getting better child care: It’s the policy, stupid" UNICEF says daycare lobbyists Martha Friendly and Sandra Griffin (former Executive Director of the Childcare Federation of Canada) were the Canadians consulted UNICEF sets up daycare lobby leader to act as media contact before release of UNICEF daycare report Income Splitting/Family Taxation Since its founding, Kids First has supported family taxation/income splitting. As in France, family income should be 'split' considering all dependent children—not only adults. It is just one step towards fairly financing the work of child care and early learning by parents or whomever parents freely choose to do this. Family taxation helps non-parents share the huge cost of this essential work. Debate on "Income Splitting" between Martha Friendly, Co-ordinator of the Childcare Resource and Research Unit and John Williamson, Head of the Canadian Taxpayers' Federation Watch Your Language! A Word on Words: "work", "stay-at-home mum", "single-earner" Ontario MPP Tim Hudak's "Family Fairness Bill" Ottawa Conference on Family Taxation May 2008 audio Calgary Herald article Good News GOOD NEWS: Recent indications that the tide is turning against discrimination against parental child care! Swedish Parliament hears about the importance of parent-child attachment Parent-Child Attachment Now a Political Issue in Britain. New Report from ex-leader of Conservatives says government should stop pressuring parents to use daycare centres London Times Online editorial by report sponsor, former Conservative Party Leader, Iain Duncan Smith: "Think tank: Mums need help to stay at home—Better childcare will curb social ills" London Times Online editorial on report: "Tories may boost benefits for stay-at-home mothers—A new plan could be Childcare worth up to Ł500 a month to parents" All three UK party leaders support report. Article: "Prime Minister endorses report" Full report "Breakthrough Britain: The Next Generation" Executive Summary of report Kids First commentary and excerpts from the report summary Thank you Newfoundland and Labrador for leading the way in funding child care equality: $1,000 for birth/adoption and $100/month for first 12 months according to a govenment press release New Study from the UK Recommends $100 per Month for Parental Child Care: "Little Britons: Financing Childcare Choice" "[D]aycare was a long way down the list of priorities for parents in deprived families…formal childcare was actively rejected as inappropriate in most areas." Read a description of the study or a discussion from a Canadian point of view. Parents should be paid to spend time with their children says top UK School Head Brown advisor calls for tax breaks for stay-at-home mums after warning over nurseries: UK PM's policy advisor, Jay Belsky, cites negative effects of centre-based care and asks for funding for parental child care "on humanitarian grounds." The Root Causes of Addiction—love, babies and neuroscience: Listen to a CBC radio interview with doctor, author and columnist, Dr. Gabor Mate, currently working with adults with drug addictions on Vancouver's downtown eastside. He links daycare use and lack of parental nurturing with addiction. He says "parents should be given every support to stay at home with their kids as long as possible." Go to April 11,2008. Click on the "PORTLAND HOTEL CONTINUED" audio link (the other link is to interviews with his patient/addicts and nurse). The especially relevant bits start at 9:40 minutes and 11 minutes. Sweden to Fund Parental Child Care--Reverses Decades of Discrimination Daycare Promotion by Corporate Right and Neo-Cons/Neo-Liberals Though often thought of as "left-wing," daycare and other institutional care/learning have long been aggressively promoted by the corporate right, which is not known for being "family friendly." Check out the child policy of these organizations: The World Bank The RAND Corporation The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) The Economist magazine Vancouver Board of Trade Royal Bank of Canada World Bank's Handy Dandy Early Child Development Cost-Benefit Calculator. Use it to "prove" the more you spend, the more you save: $1 produces $2-$17 in savings. img src="images/arrow-sm.gif" width="4" height="8" alt="arrow" border=0 hspace=10>Feb 2010 article by Kids First President, Helen Ward, submitted to The Tyee It’s Time Social Justice Proponents Took a Closer Look at Child Care Policy: The Ideological Who and Why of All-Day Kindergarten and Daycare July 28, 2009 interview on all-day kindergarten/daycare, how money is being shifted from welfare families to daycare and the corporate right's support for daycare Dr. Strangelove and Daycare: The RAND Corporation, the biggest "think tank" in the world, is funded by the US military and large corporations. It pushed "universal preschool" in California. A new book, Soldiers of Reason: the RAND Corporation and the Rise of the American Empire, exposes the RAND Corporation's vast influence on the US government and ties to the World Bank. The character of Dr. Strangelove was based on a former RAND head who promoted nuclear war. Listen to author Alex Abella in a CBC interview on part 3 of The Current. All-Day Kindergarten, Data Collection, Privacy Violation, UBC's HELP & the EDI Some of the kids are all right. National Post editorial explains how "Canada is on the wrong track" with its push for all-day kindergarten. BC Government Report on School All Day for Ages 3 to 5, "Expanding Early Learning In British Columbia For Children Age Three to Five" 2009, by unnamed members of the BC Government's Early Childhood Learning Agency Kindergarten Parents: did you get your consent letters from HELP about data-mining your family's private records? Read the letters: "negative opt-out" and lack of information means your rights to PRIVACY and INFORMED CONSENT are violated by the BC government through HELP and schools. Full letter Short letter Also available at http://edi.earlylearning.ubc.ca/ Government-Funded Daycare/All-Day K Promoters Lie When they Claim Nobel-Prize Economist Agrees with Them. Daycare and all-day kindergarten promoters including HELP and Charles Pascal & Fraser Mustard all say Nobel Prize Economist Dr James Heckman's research supports their policy. This is NOT TRUE. Heckman rejects "universal" programs and favours vouchers for very targeted under-privileged families to use in programs run by religious and community groups of great diversity. He says it is not known what works best but that parents are key. Heckman Quotes "None of this evidence supports universal preschool programs." "Advocates and supporters of universal preschool often use existing research for purely political purposes." "People are very worried about the central government inculcating values in their children that they don't agree with." He hopes "that early childhood provision doesn't come to resemble a government bureaucracy," which is exactly what the daycare promoters "integrated approach" is. Heckman quotes from Wall Street Journal "Protect Our Kids from Preschool" "The Productivity Argument for Investing in Young Children," p. 35 Interview with Heckman Burnaby Now article: Does data collection put privacy at risk? HELP is the government-funded organization that drives/creates child/family/daycare policy here AND does the mega-dating mining. Family's addresses are not there but postal codes are and so is everything else. HELP does not follow Statistics Canada procedures—personal data is collected and linked without people knowing about it. Data-collection is repeatedly mentioned by the OECD and World Bank as a key aspect of "early child development." January 28, 2010 Press Release: Moratorium Sought for All-Day Kindergarten & Related Data-Mining Notice to Parents: Your Privacy is Being Violated Kick Big Brother Out of School: Government Collecting "Sperm to Worm" Personal Data of All BC Children then Using it to Push All-Day Kindergarten BC Minister of Education on spending on all-day kindergarten and school for 0-5 year olds despite cuts to other school funds. Jan 21 2009 CBC radio BC Almanac interview - about half way through podcast. The Early Development Instrument (EDI) Kindergarten questionnaire EDI in English EDI in French Teachers' Guide in English Teachers' Guide in French from Offord Centre for Child Studies The EDI (Early Development Instrument): Are over 25% of young kids "vulnerable," "not ready to learn," "at risk," "developmentally behind?" Find out where this "data" comes from and what it means. November 25, 2009: The cost of a free lunch: The real costs of the Pascal early learning plan for Ontario by Andrea Mrozek, Manager of Research and Communications, Institute of Marriage and Family Canada Press Release: The Real Costs of Full-Day Kindergarten in Ontario October 26, 2009: BC School Trustees Say Delay All-Day Kindergarten—Need More Cash Sept 29, 2009 interview on HELP and data collection Press Release, Sept 2009: Replace Anti-Parent Activist at Peace Summit Says Parent Group Kids First Parents Association of Canada Exposing All Day Kindergarten Dis-Information: Clyde Hertzman of UBC's Human Early Learning Partnership Misleads the Public Sept 8,2009 Globe and Mail editorial "Making the Case Against Universality" Academic Outcomes: All-Day K for 3-5 Could be Harmful—Canadians Outperform Swedes & French on OECD Exams June 2009: All-day Kindergarten proposal in Ontario All-day school report by Charles Pascal "With our best future in mind: Implementing early learning in Ontario". National Post—online commentary by Helen Ward, President of Kids First National Post—commentary as it appeared in print by Helen Ward, President of Kids First Toronto Star—"Full day of school just cruel for kids" by Rosie DiManno 15 children per staff—Staff:child ratio recommendations for 3-5 year olds by daycare lobby OECD, Martha Friendly et al Helen Ward on The biggest investment scam out there: All-day kindergarten (link to the original April 1, 2009 National Post article with comments) "Scam"—ABC's 20/20 on Universal Preschool The more you spend the more you save? Exposing the false economy of daycare/preschool cost-benefit analysis Costs: Daycare, pre-school, all-day kindergarten (pdf brochure or html version) Big Brother Goes to Kindergarten: BC Government Collecting "Sperm to Worm" Data on all BC Children (Kids First May 6, 2009 article) Big Brother Goes to Kindergarten: BC Government Violating Parental and Privacy Rights in "Sperm To Worm" Kindergarten Data Collection (no informed consent—see copies of letters to Kindergarten parents for data collection) Background to All-Day Schooling: Daycare Lobby Strategizing at Taxpayer Expense The Unhurried Day: Learning and Caring Seamlessly, Integration Network Project November 2005 Symposium report The OECD's idea of All-Day Kindergarten for ages 3-5 was established in Canada with the secretive strategizing of the daycare lobby. This tax-funded symposium brought daycare lobbyists together with education and daycare ministry staff. The item had been removed from the web. Background to All-Day Kindergarten: The "Integration" Agenda to Merge Daycare and School The BC Ministry of Children and Family Development funded the speech by Royal Bank VP, Charles Coffey, through the Human Early Learning Partnership. "It's clear that business has a vested interest in supporting and influencing the development of sound public policy, as business has a stake in early learning and child care outcomes" "Key stakeholders have come together to endorse this speaker series. It's supported by ... funding from the BC Ministry of Children and Family Development through the Human Early Learning Partnership." Article by Lenira Haddad—OECD speech witer: "Integrated policies for early childhood education and care: challenges, pitfalls and possibilities." She writes, "the challenge is to attain greater state participation, including provision for all child development stages from birth to entry into formal schooling, to avoid the tendency to revive the idea of family primacy over early childhood.” Kids First submission to BC Early Learning Agency on all-day schooling for 3 to 5 year olds Background documents: Who is pushing all-day schooling for little kids? The OECD, the Integration Network, the World Bank and the Human Early Learning Partnership (HELP) at UBC. Where the All-Day Schooling Agenda Comes from: The "Integration" of School and Child Care in the OECD's "New Order" According to the quoted report, the “ideology of the family” is a problem and must be replaced by “a new order. This includes deep changes in societies in general and in the family’s structure in particular...a review of the family-state relationship regarding the responsibility for the care and education of children.” The World Bank Partnering with the Human Early Learning Partnership (HELP): HELP-ing Build Big Brother's Village 2006 Paper by OECD child policy head J. Bennett, "Toward a new pedagogical meeting place? Bringing early childhood into the education system." Integration is pushed despite admitting negative effects of "schoolification in Sweden" and finding "there is little up-to-date research evidence about the process or the consequences." Giant "Military-Industrial Complex" think tank RAND finds low quality pervasive in California daycare/preschool system, but holds out promises that it can be better. (RAND is thus covering its ass with caveats about the policy it pushes while kids and parents are ripped off) RAND Child Policy RAND publication related to preschool/daycare and "welfare reform" (i.e. kicking families of fwelfare and giving the $ to daycare and workfare) RAND Corporation study shows later kindergarten start (age 6 years or 72 months) produces better academic scores. See the charts on pages 110-112 How to fix boys: In this Maclean's article, psychologist Leonard Sax says research shows early schooling is especially harmful to boys "Stakeholders" list excludes public and parents. Government's list of groups consulted and/or invited to participate in secretive "public" consultation: daycare lobbyists, public sector unions, school-tied professionals, and businesses are favoured with invitations while parents are not. Deadline extended to August 15 for submissions to BC Early Learning Agency on all-day schooling for 3 to 5 year olds: Ministry of Education news release, July 18 (original deadline) Irony: Fewer Kids in School=More School Clyde Hertzman, head of the Human Early Learning Partnership (HELP) leading the consultation on all-day kindergarten advises expanding schooling for children under age 5 using funds saved by declining school attendance. CBC Radio One "Ideas", Wednesday, July 16, 2008. "Sick People or Sick Societies?" Part 2 "Strong Start" drop-in kids (age 0-5) to be counted in formula for school-capital funding. Daycare kids may also be counted. Schools to provide cheap rent for some private daycares. Maple Ridge News(Vancouver area) article: 12 new daycare centres to open in district schools Abandoning bricks-and-mortar schools for Internet classrooms. 48,000 kids expected to enrol in BC. Excerpts from the Globe and Mail article: Thousands choosing computers over classroom Kids First on CKNW with Christie Clark on all-day schooling for ages 3-5. BCTF opposed to schooling for ages 3-4. Go to Wednesday July 9, 12 pm, and go to 37 minute mark. Note: HELP, which leads the all-day K consultation, told CKNW they could not participate in this interview due to their government contracts—but HELP has been active in the media elsewhere (see CBC Radio's "Sick People or Sick Societies?" Part 2 and the Vancouver Sun article). Biased Consultation: All five "Experts in the Field of Early Childhood Education" listed by the BC Government for the consultation are from HELP (Human Early Learning Partnership), including Hillel Goelman, HELP Director and author of the 2007 Vancouver Sun article describing and demanding all day schooling for ages 3-5 "Research" the BC government is using in all-day schooling consultation: The list provided by the Ministry of Education at our request reveals a great deal of material by daycare lobbyists and their organizations, most of it not peer reviewed (M. Friendly, J. Beach, Cleveland, Krashinsky, G. Doherty, J. Bertrand, L. Anderson, Hillel Goelman, Alan Pence, HELP, RAND, OECD, F. Mustard, McCain, P. Kershaw , R. Mahon, Perry Preschool, etc). HELP Findings that Contradict HELP's Promotion of Early Schooling/Daycare Institutionalized daycare in the spin cycle: an article by the Canadian Taxpayers Federation Toronto Sun article: Study the Real Costs of All-Day Kindergarten Reality check—Costs of all day schooling/daycare: BC Government says it's studying costs of all day kindergarten for age 3-5, but no costs are mentioned in the consultation paper. $11,500/yr/child age 2-5: Quebec spending on daycare operation costs only—capital, training, bureaucracy, pension funds are more (Low Fee Regulated Childcare Policy, CIRPEE, p. 22 footnote) $26,972/yr/child age 1-5: Sweden's spending on daycare/preschool High Costs and Low Quality Quebec government study finds 73% of licensed daycare there is of minimal or lower quality. The OECD find "a problem of quality" and "deteriorating quality" in Swedish daycare—yet holds it up as a model for all (OECD Country Note Early Childhood Education and Care Policy in Sweden p .29, 30) Swedish Ministry of Education report finds low quality: too many children per staff, inadequate facilities and training, too much academic pressure on children harms learning. Is the BC government responding to KF's complaint of secrecy in consultation process? See article in The Province: Earlier start and full-day kindergarten being considered BC Government press release re: consultation on all-day schooling for 3-5 year olds (after Kids First reported there has been no press release) Is full-day schooling for ages 3-5 a foregone conclusion? The UBC body promoting more institutional child care announces "Universal 'Child Care' Coming" before the so called "consultation" has even taken place or the "agency" to discuss it has been formed. Read more. June 27, 2008 Press Release: BC government conducting secret "public" consultations Join the latest unpublicized public consultation by the July 18 deadline. The BC government needs responses to the proposed full day schooling for ages 3-5. The "consultation" paper is vague on any specifics (example: no information on costs, research is mentioned but not actually named, "high quality" is not defined) and highly biased in favour of expanding tax-funded schooling to very young children. Kids First is preparing a full response. For more, click "consultation paper" at http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/ecla/ Kids First letter of Feb 29, 2008 to BC Minister of Education requesting to be involved in consultation on full day schooling for ages 3-5 BC Ministry of Education response of Mar 4, 2008 to Kids First request for equitable parental participation in talks on full-day schooling for ages 3-5 Kids First Requests names of "stakeholders" invited to all-day schooling consultations, but Ministry of Education reply does not provide list of those invited to consultation or list of those involved in ECLC BC Ministry of Education response to Kids First request to know who is on the Early Childhood Learning Agency does not name "parent groups" or "stakeholders" involved New Brunswick government gives early learning curriculum to parents and daycares. (Should the state be fixating on regulating families while deregulating business?) Read the Daily Gleaner article "Province to unveil curriculum for preschool children today" Battles at the all-day schooling trough: The Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) recommends a maximum-cost approach to full-day schooling for 3 to 5 year olds: certified teachers, classes in schools BC Considering Full-Day Schooling for 3- to 5-year-olds: All-Day Schooling for Ages 3 to 5? Feb 13, 2008: Times - Colonist Excerpts. Victoria, B.C UBC's Human Early - HELP - Pushes for Universal All day Preschool, Vancouver Sun Sept 2007: HELP has 3 members the BC Provincial Child Care (daycare) Council and considerable policy influence. WARNING: misrepresentation of evidence, costs/benefits based on inapplicable Perry Preschool findings, confusing use of terms "high quality," "child care," and "preschool" HELP announces 'Universal "Child Care" Coming' yet the Education Minister says full-day K for age 3 to 5 is just an idea they are planning to explore. So is it a done deal with no parent consultation? Full-Day Schooling for 3-5 is Daycare Through the Back Door—article in Hamilton Spectator by Kate Tennier See the TVO debate on daycare and full-day kindergarten for 4 and 5 year olds. Charles Pascal, the Ontario advisor on full-day schooling for tots, and daycare economist Gordon Cleveland win our BEER AND POPCORN AWARD for contemptuous attitudes towards parents and our DAYCARE DISINFORMATION AWARD for misleading information. Click on the Dec 5 episode. Nov. 30 2007—Kids First President Helen Ward and activist Kate Tennier in Ottawa Citizen on push for full-day Kindergarten: More School isn't Always Better Ontario teacher speaks out against all-day kindergarten Head Start, Sure Start, Success by 6... Questioning the benefits of pre-school: We need to ask if children would be better off if the huge sums of public money going into these programs, related bureaucracies and research went directly to their parents. Preschool for all? - No Thanks: article from Australia £20 million study finds £3 billion program ineffective: British "Sure Start" preschool "Free" daycare through the back door: The push for full-time school for ages 3-5. In Ontario, the Liberals and NDP make full-day school for age 4-5 an election promise and disregard kindergarten child:staff ratios of 20:1—Full-day kindergarten no treat for kids (a Hamilton Spectator article by Kate Tennier) Open letter demands full-day schooling for age 3-5 and daycare: the letter claiming disproven Utopian social and economic benefits for preschool and daycare is sponsored by maritime heiress Margaret McCain and signed by daycare lobby voices. Breastfeeding vs Infant Formula Industry New evidence that non-parental child care reduces breastfeeding and increases "risk of overweight at least during infancy." Article in UK Telegraph: Putting babies in childcare "makes them fatter" Breastfeeding: Upholding the World Health Organization's Code in Canada Breast-feeding gets cold shoulder in B.C. hospitals: Article in the Georgia Straight Breast-milk brouhaha at Burnaby Hospital: Article in the Georgia Straight Breastfeeding consultants resign: Article in Burnaby Now Daycare: Safety, Health, and Developmental Concerns 24/7/365 available daycare is a goal of some daycare proponents. All-week daycare in East Germany—a mother tells of her own and her child's story Increased antibiotic resistance, infections, and use of prescription medications: Health implications of children in child care centres Part B: Injuries and infections High-quality affordable daycare? There's never enough money or staff. Alberta Liberal and NDP MLAs and daycare operators oppose Alberta's effort to slightly improve the quality of infant daycare. "Day-care operators leery of new rules:" Calgary Herald (Sept 20, 2008) Vancouver Sun newspaper sets up website on Vancouver area daycare inspection results and risk ratings Vancouver Sun article: Daycares Lost Track of Children 230 Times Over 5 Years Research on the Negative Health Impacts of Daycare Centres Washing their Hands of Responsibility—Keeping Daycare Centres Clean: The Impossible Dream? Children in daycare centres have higher levels of stress measured by testing cortisol levels—BBC News article. Daycare staff:child ratios & "quality": bad and getting worse (July 21, 2005) "Appropriate" Staff:Child Ratios in "Quality" Daycare: A Politically Sensitive Topic (July 18 2005) A Stanford and Berkeley study of over 14,000 children finds pre-school/daycare harms social development. "The UC Berkeley-Stanford study found that all children who attended preschool at least 15 hours a week displayed more negative social behaviors such as trouble cooperating or acting up, when compared with their peers. The discrepancies were most pronounced among children from higher-income families." Note: No research has demonstrated that "moderate" advantage in cognitive tests for children in "high quality" preschool/daycare endure in the long term. Note: The majority of daycares in the US and Canada have been found to be of low quality. Read more about the studies: New report examines effects nationwide of preschool on kids' development and Loeb's study on preschool finds bright side, dark side A Critical Review of Daycare for Under 3s More on Dumping Kids in Day Care: A blog by Dr. Rod Moser, PA, PhD 2008 Federal Election and Daycare 4 Parties' 2008 Election Platforms for Children's Care and Well-being A Victory for Parents and Kids: NDP Switcheroo on Funding Parents Letter to the Toronto Star Editor in response to: "Daycare spaces or $100 cheques?" Beer, Popcorn and… Poppycock: NDP Talks with Kids First Jack Layton Insults Parental Child Care, Replays Lie that Daycare Reduces Violence Archived Interviews on Child-Related Policy in Election Campaign with Kids First President, Helen Ward Archived on CKNW. Go to Sept 21 at 1:00 pm. The interview starts at minute 9:30. Archived on CKNW. Go to Sept 14 at 1:00 pm. The interview begins at about 1:10. Child Poverty Issues Measuring Canadian "Child Poverty"—Charts Showing Actual Incomes Called the Poverty Line Statistics Canada article on different low income measures Low Income in Canada: 2000-2007 Using the Market Basket Measure - August 2009 Cuts to BC Community Non-Profit Organizations Serving Children, Families, Handicapped Feb 15, 2010: CBC radio interview with Helen Ward, Kids First President on all-day Kindergarten, and BC government cuts to family services as part of an "integrated approach." Go to 1:02 to hear interview Vancouver Sun article Feb 12, 2010: Province to cut $10 million from community services for children, families Burnaby Now article Feb 10, 2010: "Looming cuts worry Burnaby Family Place" Burnaby Now blog: Ministry of Children and Family Development warns of cuts to come Agreement between the Ministry of Education and BC Assocaition of Family Resources Programs acknowledges tension between Strong Start drop-in programs in school run by the Ministry of Education and non-government services like family drop-ins expires July 1, 2010 E-mail to organizations about upcoming cuts Letter from the BC Ministry of Children and Family Development states that "preference will be given to agencies that provide a continuum of MCFD services to support an integrated approach to service delivery." An "integrated approach" refers to a "new paradigm" policy of "shared responsibility" between the state and parents in child rearing combined with "strong partnership with the private sector." E-mail to organizations about meeting on February 12, 2010—same day as Olympics open Other Issues Is All-Day K Needed to Ease Daycare Shortage? Daycare Vacancy Rate Over 7% in Toronto Daycare Lobby Head is a Top Bureaucrat in BC's Mininstry of Children and Family Development OECD Statistics on enrollment in daycare, preschool, kindergarten UK Prospect article: "The mother of all paradoxes: Stronger maternity rights can help mothers, but they will hurt employers and women in general." Daycare proponents now argue for extending parental leave to 18 months and requiring fathers to take a portion in the name of "gender equity." Dr Catherine Hakim shows this contradicts the evidence. Canadian Teens Out-Score OECD Average and Sweden on Academic Tests. See charts on page 60-64 of "Measuring Up: Canadian Results of the OECD PISA Study The Performance of Canada's Youth in Science, Reading and Mathematics: 2006 First Results for Canadians Aged 15" BBC news item: Parents giving children alcohol 'fuels binge drinking' "Our Phony Economy." A Harper's Magazine article. Simon Kuznets invented the GDP but opposed using it as if it measured all production: “The volume of services rendered by housewives and other members of the household toward the satisfaction of wants must be imposing indeed,” he wrote. PowerPoint slides accompanying presentation to the 2009 BC Home School Convention: "From Paragons to Parasites: Mums Choosing to Lose Our Work-Life Balance" "Real choice" in child care through direct funding to parents is championed by leading child development researcher internationally: Effects of Child Care on Child Development: Give Parents Real Choice by Jay Belsky Institute for the Study of Children, Families and Social Issues Birkbeck University of London March, 2009 Social policy "ruining childhood": Childhood is being undermined by a string of "oppressive demands" from ministers disguised as social policy, experts have claimed. June 2009 article in Telegraph.co.uk Pregnant woman and babies should not eat deli meat A brilliant answer to the "feminazis" who hate mums who look after their own children—Atlantic Monthly article: I Choose My Choice Thank you to Newfoundland and Labrador for leading the way in funding parental child care: $1,000 for birth/adoption and $100/month for the first 12 months Australians debate "means testing" for the $5,000 per child birth bonus promised for July 1, 2008 to increase birthrates Interview with Canadian Dr. Elliot Barker, child psychiatrist and founder of the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Children. He sees lack of empathetic parenting and consumerism as the roots of criminality. The OECD and Canada's Daycare Lobby: Ties Denied The OECD: Globalizing Daycare Lobby Ideology Daycare Turf Wars: For-Profit Big Box vs. Non-Profit Big Box vs. State-Run Big Box exposing the spin and re-framing the debate in favour of funding parents not boxes Spring 2008—Kids First Submission to the Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science, and Technology re: OECD "Starting Strong II" Report Mustard Calls Quebec Study "chicken shit", McCain Accuses Authors of Denying Breastfeeding Benefits Mustard’s Contempt for Parents: “17% of parents are godawful” and only one third of us are “competent” says World Bank backed daycare lobbyist, Dr. Fraser Mustard in a Toronto Star article Senate Committee Hears from Daycare Lobby but not Parents Transcripts of Senate Committee Hearings on Child Care Billionaire McCain Displays Contempt for Low-Wage Nannies OECD Underestimated Early Education Funding—Only Counted Spending on Kindergarten Letter in Hill Times Embassy Magazine, March 12th, 2008 in response to original article published Feb 20, 2008: "Canada Lagging in Early Education Funding" Survey by Ipsos Reid for Federal government finds Canadians want choice and support for parents Article: "Who should be caring for very young children?" in The Medical Journal of Australia NAFTA Means US "Big Box" Daycare Chains Can Get Canadian Taxpayers' Dollars: A legal opinion for Canadian Union of Public Employees CUPE) says because of NAFTA daycare must be STATE-RUN not just state-funded to keep out US chains. Another legal opinion refutes CUPE lawyers. Corporate Welfare: Labour Force expansion policies: The OECD and the World Bank seek a larger, globalized, more "flexible" Labour Force. Importing low-wage labour means higher profits through lower wages. This Guardian article describes the situation in Europe. "Putting more women to work"--the name of an OECD colloquium--through de-funding families and funding daycare has the same effect. Both the OECD and the World Bank vigourously promote funding daycare over parental care. Care Control Revolution: UK moves away from state control of care decisions to provide direct cash benefits to elderly and disabled for care costs—why not parents? The Health Minister calls this a “radical transfer of power from the state to the public” and speaks about the elderly getting “self-determination and maximum control over their own lives.” BBC News Elderly to get personal care cash Telegraph Elderly set free, but children shackled Daycare Bill C-303 Update Nov 2007: Liberal MP's Letter Reveals Bill C-303 is about Political Games, not Keeping "Big Box" Daycare Chains Out Welsh parent says switch to parental care after 4 years of daycare eliminated son's problematic behaviour revealing his true character. Britain's Daily Mail finds Swedish woman are asking for an end to daycare discrimination: women are far from equal after 30 years of policy discriminating against parental child care. Parents in Britain—and Canada—take note! Flexi-hours and longer maternity leave: A trimph for feminism? Anything but! WORKING MOTHERS Most mothers are not at full-time paid jobs. Only about 6%—not 70% as we are told—of mothers of children under 3 are at full time jobs. These graphs present a breakdown of mothers' labour force participation rate statistics from the OECD. Labour force statistics have been misused to argue for high demand for daycare centres and preferential funding for daycare over parental care. We recognize that every mother is a working mother. Statistics Canada: More mums are breastfeeding longer after Employment Insurance leave increased from 6 months to 1 year Article: "Parents of babies to be given 'learning diaries' so experts can monitor children"—lots of cash for studying parents but not for parents Kids First Submission Opposing Discriminatory Bill C303 (in English and in French) Take action against Bill C-303 on early learning and child care National Institute for Child Health and Human Development Child Care Outcomes Study—Report of Findings to Grade 5 and 6: The study defined "child care" as non-maternal care over 10 hours per week. The main findings were that children who were in daycare centres had higher levels of behavioural/social problems such as aggression and cruelty, which continue without reduction; high quality child care is associated with better vocabulary scores than low quality child care; high quality child care is found most often in dad and grandparent care (the study previously estimated only 9% of child care settings were high quality). Another tax-funded daycare lobby cash cow feeding at the "child care" trough Motherlove, crime and addiction: lessons learned from lab rats by Chella Turnbull A fairer way to fund child care: Montreal Gazette. Correction to info in article: Quebec pays up to $60/day/child ($15,700/yr) to daycare centres to subsidize operation costs. Regulation, capital, training, etc are additional costs. Only 21% of Quebec children aged 1-5 are in daycare centres. What Stats Can is not telling us: charts of daycare use for ages 6 mos-5 yrs and ages 6-11 Comments on Child Care Spaces Report Federal Budget 2007: Good News—Bad News Kids First in the news Swedish family policy has not led to equality for women according to the UK Guardian: "For decades we've been told Sweden is a great place to be a working parent. But we've been duped." Swedes opposing Swedish daycare and family policy: On daycarism in Sweden by Jan-Ola Gustafsson Katarina Runske 1989 speech Katarina Runske 1994 speech. Read excerts from Patricia Morgan's book, Family Policy, Family Changes—Sweden, Italy and Britain Compared: Sweden: Socialist Engineering in Family Policy Overview and Conclusions Read a short resume of Patricia Morgan's new book that talks about research on family policy in Europe, which finds that... Sweden has most sex-segregated work force in Western world Cheap daycare does not produce higher birthrates Huge numbers of "working" Swedish mothers are off work Swedish intolerance in child care Swedish Government Report Critiques Appalling Daycare Conditions (July 15 2005) Swedish report to the United Nations Swedish legal case involving a family wishing to care for their own child Rising Violence Against Swedish Women Despite Gender Equity Promotion The Failure of European Family Policy: Does Daycare Raise Birthrates in Sweden? Dr. Allan Carlson, historian of Swedish family policy, demonstrates the falseness of the claim that Sweden has overcome sub-replacement fertility rates: policy that coerces mothers into jobs and favours daycare lowers birthrates. New Vanier Institute Report: The Rise in the Number of Children and Adolescents Who Exhibit Problematic Behaviors: Multiple Causes Kids First summary Press Release Globe and Mail article and readers' comments Recent related reports: UNICEF report finding Canadian children rating low in peer & family relationships, behaviour & risks, and subjective well-being (see chart, p. 4) Statistics Canada report finding lower amounts of time spent with family Daycare Supply and Demand Is there a labour shortage and should mothers have to fill it? Kids First Input for Child Care Spaces Initiative Consultations Parents vs State Intervention in Child-Rearing: Clarifying our Roles Liberal policies: From pensions for "stay at home mums" to beer and popcorn: How the Liberal party reversed its policy on children and families Read the pro-parent Liberal Government Report on Tax Equity for Families with Dependent Children Mum professor seeking input from "at-home" parents for book Daycare Dis-information Buster: What it really means when they say "The reality is that 70% of mothers are working" Hutchinson v. BC: BC Human Rights Tribunal rejects Ministry of Health discrimination against hiring family as care providers. This case has implications for funding of other forms of care including child care. Review of Ann Crittenden's book, If You've Raised Kids You Can Manage Anything The daycare lobby is using the "UN Convention on the Rights of the Child" to argue for more daycare. They avoid mentioning the primacy given the family and the parent-child relationship throughout the document. "Canadian early learning and child care and the Convention on the Rights of the Child" by Martha Friendly, Coordinator of the fully tax-funded Child Care Resource and Research Unit at the University of Toronto UN Convention on the Rights of the Child Kids First Responds to Some Concerns Governor Teaches a Preschool Lesson: An article at NRO by Carrie Lukas about the states rejecting universal preschool as costly, ineffective and interfering in the family sphere New survey finds over 80% of Canadians prefer parental care What is Feminism? Pop-Culture Shocker: TV Cartoon Tackles Mums' Work Choices Dangerous superbug sweeping across nation, officials say: An article at globeandmail.com by Helen Branswell New Daycare Poll: Ripped Off, Dumbed Down & Shut Up Mothers' Day Proclamation 1870: No Brekky in Bed Response to Dr. Hillel Goelman's article "Time to get past child care myths" Do children become criminals without government-licenced daycare and preschool? Carolyn Bennett, Toronto MP and candidate for Liberal leadership, said it's good the government is building more prisons because we'll need them since they are canceling the daycare deals. For more information see ProudToBeCanadian and click "Liberals endorse Conservative Jail-Building Plan." Mike Duffy gives Ms Bennett a chance to explain herself. She says it's "early learning" that is needed. See http://www.ctv.ca/canada Go to "Mike Duffy Live" and click the Bennett link. Child-care battle rages: a Toronto Star article More beer and popcorn: a Winnipeg Sun article Daycare or Prison: Does $1 Spent on Daycare Save $7? Helen Ward of Kids First responds to Dr Bennett's comment. Perry Preschool Propaganda Project Reality Check: Daycare: The More You Spend, The More You Save!!!??? Major study from University of London, England: What is known about the long-term economic impact of centre-based early childhood interventions? "Politicians and policy-makers should stop basing the case for expanding early years provision on old, inaccurate and decontextualized data about long-term economic benefits, a research study has concluded." Read more. Kids First and the New Universal Childcare Allowance Kids First a Focus at PM's Child Care Policy Visit to BC: Read the Kids First report and Prime Minister Stephen Harper's news release. Read the Vancouver Sun, CTV and CBC reports. Neither Conservative nor Liberal Daycare Plan Addresses Equality: Published in The Hill Times, Letters, April 24, 2006 Daycare Dis-information Buster—Waitlists: Child-care lobby’s numbers are a joke: A Winnipeg Sun article by Tom Brodbeck Dutch and US 'Feminazis' Condemn University Grad Mothers who Reduce their GDP-Sector Time: Dutch Feminazis Want to Punish Educated Mothers: An article from The Brussels Journal by Alexandra Colen 'Mommy Wars': To Work or to Stay at Home: ABC News interviews of US "feminazi" Linda Hirshman and the no-good "stay at home" mums Feminist Slams Stay-at-Home Moms: An article by Don Feder Feminism revisited: A Boston Globe article by Cathy Young Behind the baby gap lies a culture of contempt for parenthood: An article by Madeline Bunting published in The Guardian that points out how women's unpaid care-work is worth more than entire GDP Best-selling author on parenting, therapist Steve Biddulph: "My warning to parents is simple: one in five children put into nursery early will develop mental health problems" Minding the Baby Rebecca Abrams' review in The Guardian of Sue Gerhardt's book Why Love Matters: How Affection Shapes a Baby's Brain Every Mother is a Working Mother in Venezuela: Unpaid Home-Workers of Venezuela Fight Bureaucrats to Assure President Hugo Chavez's Revolutionary Promise of Remuneration Media Release April 24, 2006: Parent Group Says Government Must Cut Funding to Daycare Lobby Now Press Release March 1, 2006: Caregivers from around the world meet in New York seeking recognition Kids First representatives are in attendance. Fund the child, not the system: An article by Kate Tennier published in the Globe and Mail on Monday, February 13, 2006. FUND THE CHILD vs FUND THE SPACES: Kids First Responds to Caledon Institute Report that $1,200 could be $388 for Low Income Families Fund the child, not the system: by Kate Tennier and published in the Globe and Mail on Monday, February 13, 2006. Daycare Dis-information Buster: Daycare is Not Medicare—Comparing Apples and Oranges Daycare Dis-information Buster: Under 10 % of Children in Daycare Daycare Dis-information Buster: Creating False Impressions with "Child Care" Words and Numbers Reality Check on Quebec Daycare: Research Finds Low Quality, High Costs, Negative Outcomes, Worse Family Finances The Fund the Child Coalition Canada-Wide Event for International Children's Day was held on Nov 19-21. Read about our formal Complaint to the United Nations. Speaking Notes for the Fund the Child Press Conference Kid First Presentation to Federal Finance Committee 2005—Transcript Corporate Right World Bankers Lobbying for Daycare—Speech Letter to the Editor Re: Dis-information in Article by Top Daycare Lobbyist, Martha Friendly Daycare, Low Income and the Left Violent Youth and Child Care Reality Check: Maybe We Ought to Ask...What Does Daycare Cost? Media Release December 12, 2005: "Daycare and 'Beer-Gate': Accountability, Hate and Lies" Sept 29 Media Release: Daycare Mis-Information Exposed We Need a Moratorium on Paul Martin's National Childcare Program Reality Check: Misleading BC Daycare Info Corrected Read this August 2005 report in pdf format. July 2005 Update Does Daycare Lower 'Child Poverty' and Get Mums into Jobs? Quebec Experiment Results: No Daycare does not lower "child poverty" or increase mothers' labour force participation (August 26, 2005) International Women's Day Update & Real Equality Financial Post March 7, 2005: "Kids First response to CAW union on daycare funding" Media release March 2, 2005: "Kids First Response to Federal Budget & Child Care Funding" Media release February 9, 2005: "Message to Fed-Prov Territorial Meeting: Legal Challenge Sought to Daycare Discrimination" CBC commentary—Beverley Smith—Dec 28, 2004 The Politicized Science of Day Care: A Personal and Professional Odyssey: A paper (in pdf format) by Dr Jay Belsky, a leading researcher with the US NICHD who is now at the Birkbeck University of London. Royal Bank of Canada Vice President Charlie Coffey speaks of the "business imperative" in "Early Child Development," which means daycare. Speech text Video of speech Calgary Sun Dec 13, 2005: Grits are scary on child care Research on Daycare and Low Birthrates July 30, 2005: Premier advances N.B. position on federal gas tax return, child-care funding Recent findings on negative outcomes for children and parenting in the Quebec system "Universal Childcare, Maternal Labor Supply and Family Well-Being" by Michael Baker (University of Toronto), Jonathan Gruber (MIT) and Kevin Milligan (University of British Columbia). From the study: "We uncover striking evidence that children are worse off in a variety of behavioral and health dimensions, ranging from aggression to motor-social skills to illness. Our analysis also suggests that the new childcare program led to more hostile, less consistent parenting, worse parental health, and lower-quality parental relationships." Note that child:staff ratios have been raised since the data used was collected and are now 8 children age 1 per staff. This would worsen outcomes.	Search this Site Current Issues and Action Government Submissions Related Links Fund the Child Movement Book List: Recommended Reading Audio/Video Files How You Can Help Join/Donate/Subscribe Contact Us Home
To Top of Page Kids First has no political or religious affiliation and seeks to work with all parties and all interests to seek equality for all families. Search \| Current Issues and Action \| Government Submissions \| Related Links \| Fund the Child Movement Book List: Recommended Reading \| Audio/Video \| How You Can Help \| Join/Donate/Subscribe \| Contact Us Home www.kidsfirstcanada.org E-Tango Creative Web Design