It Takes a University: Childcare and Postsecondary Education
May 21rst, 2010 to May 22nd, 2010
There is a child care wait time crisis at Canadian post-secondary institutions. At the University of British Columbia (in Vancouver), for example, there are 1500 children on the waiting list for access to childcare, and at the universities of Dalhousie (in Halifax) and Alberta (in Edmonton), there are two to four year waiting lists for childcare. While post-secondary childcare available in Canada is generally safe, and of excellent quality, there is simply not enough of it to provide for the needs of the university community, or to make universities family friendly spaces. Having sufficient safe, affordable childcare will improve accessibility to university or college for many diverse groups of students, who are otherwise forced to choose between going to school and taking care of their children. It would also improve completion times, allowing more students to enter, or re-enter, the workforce faster. However, while many campuses, like UBC Vancouver, provide childcare, it is clear that supply does not meet demand. The issue is not that Canadian universities do not want to provide childcare, but that we need a national vision for infrastructure spending on childcare that can attend to local needs, and a clear articulation of the importance of childcare for university communities. This kind of vision cannot happen without a dialogue between friends, activists, and academics; the aim of this conference is to provide a space for this dialogue to occur.
City of Richmond looks at child care strategy report – January 5, 2010, Planning Committee meeting
2009-2016 RICHMOND CHILD CARE STRATEGY AND IMPLEMENTATION PLAN
(File Ref. No.:) (REDMS No. 2766125, 1748031, 2783654)
Lesley Sherlock, Social Planner, addressed Committee and stated that the report should be referred back to staff in order for staff to: (i) further assess the appropriateness of City actions recommended in the report; and (ii) provide staff with additional time to analyze proposals outlined in the report.
A comment was made that both the Official Community Plan and Social Planning Strategy reviews would inform, and have a positive effect on, staff’s assessment and analysis of the 2009-2016 Richmond Child Care Strategy and Implementation Plan.
Discussion ensued between staff and Committee, and in particular on:
§
if the report is referred back, staff would have time to include financial information in the 2011 budget;
§
options with regard to the position of a child care co-ordinator would be presented to Committee when the report comes back;
§
progress has been made in negotiating with developers regarding the provision of child care spaces;
§
the
report includes recommendations for the Federal Government and the
Province to take significant action to provide child care policy
frameworks and to provide affordable child care;
§
although child care is a Provincial responsibility, the Province does not have a child care capital funding program; and
§
discussions
regarding the potential for all-day kindergarten take place between the
Provincial Ministry of Education and individual school districts, and
the City is not involved in those discussions.
Consultant Robyn Newton, Research Director, Social Planning and Research Council of BC (SPARC BC), advised Committee that:
§
Ken
Morris, Secretary Treasurer of School District No. 38 (Richmond), works
closely with the Ministry of Education and he is forthcoming with the
City regarding information he learns from the Province;
§
there are few details from the Province regarding expanding full-day preschool for children aged three and four; and
§
the Federal Government currently provides benefits to families with children, but does not directly fund child care services.
Concern was expressed that the City is undertaking the child care issue while the Province is inactive on the issue.
With
regard to all-day kindergarten, staff received direction from Committee
to liaise with the School District and the Province to attempt to
coordinate future plans for the program.
Staff
advised that all school districts, include Richmond’s are required to
start phasing in all-day kindergarten in 2010 and to continue to do so
in the first half of 2011.
It was moved and seconded
That:
(1)
the 2009-2016 Richmond Child Care Strategy and Implementation Plan be received for information;
(2)
the consultant’s report be referred back to staff for further analysis and report back to Planning Committee by Spring 2010; and
(3)
copies be sent to stakeholders for their consideration and comments by Spring 2010.
CARRIED
via www.richmond.ca
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