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WATCH THE NEWS TODAY—APRIL 18 TUES
The PM came to Burnaby today to highlight the government's child care policy.
Their info to media did not state that CHILD CARE would be the focus.
The PMO asked me about finding a location for this about 3-4 weeks ago, they
hoped to find a "friendly daycare". I told them there was no such thing, and
suggested a parent-run parent-child drop-in at a community centre not far from where I live (I went there when my son was little and took dancing classes there
when I was 5).
NOTE: JUST HEARD: BC CBC RADIO NEWS IS CALLING IT A DAYCARE CENTRE WHICH IT CERTAINLY IS NOT AND DOES NOT EVEN LOOK LIKE.
The parents at the drop-in were favourable, so it happened.
The drop-in had mainly mums and children 0-4—about 45 altogether, and
also dads, grandmas, mix of cultures and income levels and arrangements and
politics
(this is a very strong NDP area—was Svend Robinson's riding). The
drop-in has
been going on for over 20 yrs with no government involvement or paid
staff.
The media were there in full force. I did a number of interviews. The PM
mentioned Kids First Parent Association several times in his 6-7 minute speech, so
our
profile is rising.
His speech also hit hard on the daycare lobbyists being funded by Liberals. He
said
that parents don't have tax-funded lobby groups and cannot get to Ottawa
to
advocate. These are specific things I have been telling (suggesting
to!) them to
emphasize, so they are listening to us and using our ideas.
Part of the event was a private (no media) informal 35 minute "round table"
with
some (pre-selected, I suppose, Conservative Party member) parents and the PM with
me
as the main presenter.
The PM said
- they are looking at combining the CTB, NCB, CCED and the new $1200
allowance.
- they are "open" to in future directing more $ directly to parents and away
from
funding "spaces".
- they are working with provinces to prevent "claw back" of the $1,200. The NDP
and
Bloc are supportive on that issue.
- they will not fund operating costs which is a Provincial area—the $10,000
tax
credit is for CAPITAL-i.e. building costs for new spaces only.
- the $1,200 was never said to cover all parents' costs of children but
recognizes
that all have costs including those who do not use daycare
Kids First position is "NO preferential funding for any care form," so they
have
a long way to go. CHOICE-yes—BUT choice WITH EQUITY IN FUNDING is the
real
sticky issue.
I stressed the need for government to get the FACTS out to other MPs/public with so much
dis-information being sincerely believed (e.g. 70% mums 'working', waitlists,
quality).
Some of the parents complained of difficulty finding daycare while they
"work," so
- I stressed that care-work IS work and ...
- forgone income can cost far more than daycare fees
- that high income daycare users are receiving more $ from government than
welfare
parents
- I suggested that parents have been encouraged to have an attitude of
entitlement if they want daycare, and that non-daycare users have struggles too
- I suggested a "pro-active" approach to building care-networks, which
drop-ins
like this one help with.
There was a general sense that the PRINCIPLE of RECOGNITION of parental care
and
parental control is very significant.
The PM was clear that it makes no sense to pay one person for care work and
refuse
to pay parents. I also raised the issue of QUALITY of care in daycare—poor
according
to the daycare lobby's reports—with current ratios—which he appeared to
note.
And that the "best interests of the child" be at the core of the policy. I asked
them
(again) to seek input from developmental scientists (e.g. Dr Gordon
Neufeld).
I spent considerable time updating and then abridging the "FACT AND FICTION,
IDEOLOGIES AND AGENDAS" report, printing, getting our website info on
stickers and putting that on our "every mother is a working mother buttons"
(had help but this is time consuming), check top of web home page: http://www.kidsfirstcanada.org/
I see that the CHANGE IN OPTICS—i.e. going to a parent-run drop-in rather
than a
daycare—is VERY SIGNIFICANT. Parents who don't use daycare are no
longer
MARGINALIZED AND POLICTICALLY INVISIBLE. This will make a concrete
difference—for many mums especially who struggle with fathers, friends, in-laws etc. about "getting a real job and putting kids in daycare".
Thanks for all your work on this which IS making a difference, bit by
bit.
Helen Ward
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