This week, I asked another professional this question:
What issues regarding quality and early childhood professionals are being discussed where you live and work?
What issues regarding quality and early childhood professionals are being discussed where you live and work?
Sonia of Ontario, Canada said:
We have many areas of inequity in our educational system. Of course, these things are discussed often by parents, teacher and politicians. Childcare is very expensive and subsidies are scarce. So, if you have money you can access a space anywhere you want because you don't need to depend on the subsidy system. Those who cannot pay, have to apply for subsidy, face long waiting periods, sometimes 6 months to a year, and face all the rules that apply to that.
For example, both parents need to be working or studying to access subsidy; they have to make a minimum wage, not more, or otherwise they don't qualify for it. They have to study full time, not part time courses. A parent who wants to study and work may not qualify because they would both be part time activities. Silly, very silly.
Take the situation of a family with one child in care and mom pregnant. When mom has a new baby, she takes mat leave and the government takes your subsidy away. The government assumes that mom will be home doing "nothing" so, that family loses the subsidy for the child in care. Mother ends up at home with a new baby and sometimes a toddler or a jr preschool child. Unless she decides NOT to take mat leave and simply put that young baby (4 to 8 weeks old) in care right away (how crazy is that). So, we have centres with very young babies and older one, over a year old.
Inequities related to the areas where the centres are located concern me as well. Those located in affluent areas have most of parents professionals, working full time, well-educated families, etc. Families with resources. So, the centres also have resources. These parents want the best for their children and don't mind paying extra fees to have music classes for their todds once a week; yoga instructions; gymnastics, etc. The playground equipment is fabulous, the outings, trips, and extra curricular activities are superb. While centres located in low-income neighbourhoods don't get anything. These centres have playground equipment that is old and needs to be removed; the children get whatever free is available (public health visits, police officers, fire fighter visits, just the freebies). The children may get two trips a year, just to a movie theatre or a local park. The centre pays for everything, including lunches and transport tickets. These parents cannot afford anything.
There is a big emphasis in language, literacy and numeracy skills among young children. We start this at the daycare level. In the province of Ontario, we follow the ELECT framework. Early Learning for Every Child Today is mandatory for all daycares in Ontario and has big educational and parental involvement components. We do not get many parents really involved, but the ECEs are amazing and integrate literacy, language and numeracy in everything they do.
The stress levels are high here too. Children are pressured to learn, learn, learn. Early Childhood Educators are pressured to do more and more in the same amount of time and for the same money. Parents are pressured to work, study, and enhance their participation with school/daycare centre. We, as supervisors are stressed out too. Our managers demand more and more from us with no extra time to finish tasks/projects. We do not have assistants, we have to do everything ourselves: manage the budget, the staff, payroll, toy orders, furniture, health and safety issues, food orders and preparation, comply with all regulations and policies; obtain high scores in the Operating Criteria (quality rating tool) and of course maintain a clear license every year. We deal with staffing issues that sometimes take away half of your week!
While we continue to advocate for a universal child care system, we understand the barriers and try to lower costs in any way we can. We will have elections soon and we hope the new government continues to honour the moneys allocated to childcare. A new conservative government could decide to do something different and eliminate child care subsidy, or any other drastic measure like that.
For example, both parents need to be working or studying to access subsidy; they have to make a minimum wage, not more, or otherwise they don't qualify for it. They have to study full time, not part time courses. A parent who wants to study and work may not qualify because they would both be part time activities. Silly, very silly.
Take the situation of a family with one child in care and mom pregnant. When mom has a new baby, she takes mat leave and the government takes your subsidy away. The government assumes that mom will be home doing "nothing" so, that family loses the subsidy for the child in care. Mother ends up at home with a new baby and sometimes a toddler or a jr preschool child. Unless she decides NOT to take mat leave and simply put that young baby (4 to 8 weeks old) in care right away (how crazy is that). So, we have centres with very young babies and older one, over a year old.
Inequities related to the areas where the centres are located concern me as well. Those located in affluent areas have most of parents professionals, working full time, well-educated families, etc. Families with resources. So, the centres also have resources. These parents want the best for their children and don't mind paying extra fees to have music classes for their todds once a week; yoga instructions; gymnastics, etc. The playground equipment is fabulous, the outings, trips, and extra curricular activities are superb. While centres located in low-income neighbourhoods don't get anything. These centres have playground equipment that is old and needs to be removed; the children get whatever free is available (public health visits, police officers, fire fighter visits, just the freebies). The children may get two trips a year, just to a movie theatre or a local park. The centre pays for everything, including lunches and transport tickets. These parents cannot afford anything.
There is a big emphasis in language, literacy and numeracy skills among young children. We start this at the daycare level. In the province of Ontario, we follow the ELECT framework. Early Learning for Every Child Today is mandatory for all daycares in Ontario and has big educational and parental involvement components. We do not get many parents really involved, but the ECEs are amazing and integrate literacy, language and numeracy in everything they do.
The stress levels are high here too. Children are pressured to learn, learn, learn. Early Childhood Educators are pressured to do more and more in the same amount of time and for the same money. Parents are pressured to work, study, and enhance their participation with school/daycare centre. We, as supervisors are stressed out too. Our managers demand more and more from us with no extra time to finish tasks/projects. We do not have assistants, we have to do everything ourselves: manage the budget, the staff, payroll, toy orders, furniture, health and safety issues, food orders and preparation, comply with all regulations and policies; obtain high scores in the Operating Criteria (quality rating tool) and of course maintain a clear license every year. We deal with staffing issues that sometimes take away half of your week!
While we continue to advocate for a universal child care system, we understand the barriers and try to lower costs in any way we can. We will have elections soon and we hope the new government continues to honour the moneys allocated to childcare. A new conservative government could decide to do something different and eliminate child care subsidy, or any other drastic measure like that.
I can take professional development classes on my own time, but don’t have much of that. Many of my hopes, dreams and challenges for children and education were mentioned above.
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