BILL NO. 8 2009

An Act to Amend the Child Care Facilities Act
BE IT ENACTED by the Lieutenant Governor and the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Prince Edward Island as follows:
1. Clause 1(i) of the Child Care Facilities Act R.S.P.E.I. 1988, Cap.
C-5 is repealed and the following substituted:
(i) “Minister” means the member of the Executive Council charged
by the Lieutenant Governor in Council with the administration of
this Act;
 
 EXPLANATORY NOTES
 
The responsibility for the Child Care Facilities Act is now under the
Minister of Education and Early Childhood Development. Previously,
the Minister of Social Services and Seniors was responsible for the
administration of the Act. The amendment to the definition of “Minister”
will eliminate the need to amend this definition in the Act in the future
should there be a change in departmental responsibilities.

The following is information about Bill No. 8, An Act to Amend the Child Care Facilities Act, promoted during
the Third Session of the 63rd General Assembly of the Prince Edward Island Legislative Assembly.

Promoted by:	Hon. Gerard Greenan
First Reading:	November 17, 2009 Read First Reading Legislation This is the first draft only and does not include any changes made to the legislation, if any, as it is debated and studied. Requires Acrobat Reader to view.
Second Reading:	November 17, 2009
In Committee:	November 17, 2009
Committee Report:	November 17, 2009
Proclamation Required?	no

Addressing the needs of Island child care
Our
child care facilities will need help to continue operating during the
transition of kindergarten to the public school system.
The Guardian

A
Tignish day care operator who expressed concern recently about her
facility's future now that kindergarten is becoming part of the public
school system has issued the latest warning from the Island's child
care sector. The needs of Island child care facilities are urgent, and
government must soon outline its plan for addressing them during this
important transition period.

The Ghiz government plans to incorporate the Island's kindergarten into
the public school system by September 2010. Such a merger was
recommended by the province's kindergarten commissioner, Pat Mella, and
it's a sound policy. But it won't be an easy transition as
kindergarten-age children move from the Island's child care centres
into the public education system, and some of the staff pursue
upgrading opportunities to move into kindergarten teaching positions in
the public schools. This can't help but have a direct impact on child
care operators and their ability to continue offering services to the
public. Ms. Mella acknowledged this in her report, and warned
government to put a plan in place to help child care facilities stay
afloat.

Government has said it's working with the child care sector on a plan,
but no final decisions have been made. In the meantime, while working
groups have been established and a financial impact analysis is being
conducted to determine how losing kindergarten funding will affect
child care facilities, some operators have already warned they may be
forced to close. The above-mentioned Tignish operator, for example,
says she doesn't want to close her centre, yet she's worried about the
loss of kindergarten children, and some staff.

How often does government have to hear this warning? Ultimately, as the
operators say, this concern, if unaddressed, could affect their ability
to stay open and provide the child care services their respective
communities need.

Government can't allow this to happen. In her report, the kindergarten
commissioner made some sound suggestions that could help child care
operators manage during the transition of kindergarten. For instance,
she said, while conducting the review of the child care sector and
working on a long-term plan, government should offer some short-term
help, such as one-time payments or grants. As well, she suggested
raising the income cutoffs to increase the number of moderate-income
families eligible under the province's subsidy program.

Government needs to act on some of these suggestions. It's doing the
right thing in working with the child care sector on a long-term plan,
but if there are real obstacles threatening the survival of some of
these operations, government can't ignore these. They provide
much-needed services in their communities and if they are forced to
close, it's not just the operators who suffer. So do the families that
have come to rely on their services.