An Autism Awareness Rally is being held right now at the PEI
Legislature by a group of passionate Island parents who have joined together to bring
awareness to the challenges related to raising children affected by
Autism.  An awareness campaign called  Faces of Autism: Day of Action 2009 has been developed. The group are calling on the Government of Prince Edward Island to implement a
Provincial Autism Strategy to improve the services available to all
individuals affected by Autism on PEI. In recent weeks the Faces of Autism Facebook Page has grown to in excess of 700 fans; so clearly there is increasing and strong support for Island families affected by Autism.

Prince Edward Island needs a comprehensive Autism Strategy today.

I am one of the biggest supporters of offering full day Kindergarten for children; however on PEI we are just beginning to feel the real ripples of this pending new reality for community based child care and early learning programs across the Island.  Sure it is good to offer enhanced early learning opportunities (Kindergarten) on a full day basis for five year olds – but is it worth it to do this if many child care and early learning centres are forced to close or become compromised due to a shortage of qualified staff? Unfortunately, this is going to happen as so many of the qualified teachers move into the school system along with the Kindergarten children.  Who is this good for…children, families or communities??

It is important to recognize that the Island has a long way to go in ensuring that all children have access to quality early learning experiences and care in their communities. There is a huge variation in quality from area to area. For this reason alone, the move to full day Kindergarten is of critical importance. It will level the playing field for many children.  That said, perhaps the move to implement full day Kindergarten so quickly is going to leave a wake of early learning devastation as it rolls out.  By removing so many qualified staff from the child care field so quickly there is little doubt that programs are going to be significantly compromised across the Island.  No amount of fast tracking of educators will make up for such a loss of experience all at once.  What will this mean for the field? What will it mean for quality? Even more importantly, what will this mean for the young children who are left in community based early learning and care programs. Perhaps many centres will close.  Perhaps only some will close. Perhaps only the lowest quality centres will close. However – here is the thing; what happens if the overall quality level of early learning and care is greatly reduced across the Island? Given the current variation in quality levels; any move that further compromises the quality of care is one that we should all be very worried about.  There is a very strong chance that this will happen.

Let's be clear – caring for young children takes passion, commitment and most of all a strong knowledge and education related to early learning and child development. This is not something that one can just pick up through a Passport to Employment type of program. Really…is this the way we are going to enhance quality on Prince Edward Island? This is NOT a solution; it is a band aid on already hemorrhaging system.  This is not anything that will enhance quality….perhaps it will  help to meet child-staff ratios – but, again, this is not a solution by any means.

So while the Provincial Government means well for the future of five year old children; I am concerned for all of the other younger children on the Island.  Who is thinking about their needs?  Surely there must be some consideration for these children….and I say children specifically as opposed to early learning operators.  I understand that there is a working group related to the early childhood sector as a result of Pat Mella's report.  Of course, there should be a group to discuss all of the issues that are going to impact child care programs.  However, is this group really going to be able to think broadly and strategically about the best interests of all young Island children when so much of their sector is under attack?

So, once again, I say this….

Prince Edward Island needs a comprehensive, broad based early childhood development strategy for all young children. 

One that is comprehensive both in scope and nature. A strategy that is
actually supported and implemented by all of the partners; inlcluding
the PEI government.  We need to dream big…the sky should be the limit
for our children.  After all, they are our future.  If we don't invest
now we will pay later; there is endless research to demonstrate this. 
Such a strategy will need to be designed through comprehensive public
consultation, research and planning.  This will take the leadership and
support of all who are involved – those who work with children and
families, operators, professional associations, government employees,
the government as a whole and the individual MLA's, community members
AND most importantly – PEI FAMILIES.  Flexibility and a willingness by
ALL to put PEI children and families first will be the key to
success….for both the Island and it's children.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++

From this morning's Guardian, here is an article by Teresa Wright.  It gives example of how one centre is going to be impacted by these pending changes to the system.  How many more programs will be impacted like this?  What will this mean for children and and families?  What about quality?

Magic Moments Childcare is the only licensed daycare in Tignish, but it
may soon be forced to close now that its entire staff is moving into
the public school system.
Tracy Doyle owns and operates Magic Moments. She said she doesn’t want
to close the centre, but the trained early childhood educators she
currently employs are leaving to teach kindergarten in the public
system next year and she has little hope of attracting new replacements.
“Rural areas are much different,” Doyle said.
“It’s really difficult to recruit and retain early childhood educators who are trained.”
The pay she offers is not enough to bring trained educators as far west
as Tignish, and raising rates is not an option, she said.
“Parents can only afford to pay so much because they only get so much
pay in a rural area. It’s seasonal jobs, it’s high unemployment rates —
there’s not a lot of money there to pay the staff what they deserve to
get paid.”
That’s why Doyle believes she may have to close her doors.
With kindergarten moving into the public system next September and over
100 high-paying teaching jobs up for grabs, Doyle says she just can’t
compete for trained early childhood educators. 
“They’re taking the best trained staff from us,” Doyle said.
“My biggest concern then is what’s going to happen to the quality of
early childhood programs? I will not and I refuse to run and compromise
quality care for children.”
Doyle is not alone.
Magic Moments is just one of several rural centres facing imminent
closure unless government offers help to the sector, said Lynn Hogan,
chair of the Early Learning Operators of P.E.I. (ELOPEI).
That will seriously jeopardize the ability for smaller communities to remain viable for working parents, she said.
“These rural areas, they could lose their early childcare centres,” Hogan said.
“What is left for these little communities?”
Hogan said early childhood operators are frustrated with the lack of
planning for the sector before government announced the upcoming
changes to kindergarten last year.
Operators are also frustrated at the lack of information about what
will happen in 2010 and whether government will be supporting the
industry in the future.
That has many operators in limbo, Hogan said.
“There are people who are just waiting to see what they’re going to do.”
ELOPEI wants government and the sector to develop a comprehensive
child-care system to ensure everyone on P.E.I. has access to quality,
affordable childcare.
Government is currently working with the sector on such a plan, but no final decisions have yet been made.
A number of working groups were set up as a result of Kindergarten
Commissioner Pat Mella’s recommendations on the introduction of
kindergarten in the public system, including one group dealing
primarily with the early childhood sector.
As well, a financial impact analysis is currently being done to measure
the financial implications of day cares losing kindergarten funding and
teachers and what needs will exist in this sector in future.
But while the province and the working groups continue to study and
debate the issue, operators like Doyle are facing some tough decisions.
“The chances are, if there’s no supports there and there’s no trained
staff, I won’t compromise quality care — the option is I may be
closing,” she said.
“It’s so sad because I put my heart and soul in this.”