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CBC News – Prince Edward Island – Childcare needs urgent, says Opposition

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While the P.E.I. government has been focused on moving kindergarten into the school system, the province's early childhood education system is in danger of coming to pieces, says the Opposition.

'This government seems to not understand the crisis that's facing them,' says Opposition leader Olive Crane.

The Progressive Conservatives focused on daycare in question period as the legislature returned for the spring session Wednesday. Since 2000, when kindergarten was first publicly funded on the Island, daycares have received government subsidies for teaching kindergarten. In September, those children are moving into the schools, and many businesses say they will miss that revenue.

"It's a huge concern. There's right now a risk of 30 to 35 centres that may be closed as early as June," said Opposition leader Olive Crane.

"We've been trying to get attention – for the parents, for the facility owners, for the staff across P.E.I. – for the last two years, and this government seems to not understand the crisis that's facing them."

No money has yet been set aside to help early childhood centers, but Minister of Education Doug Currie said there is some coming.

"There will have to be an investment. I don't have an exact figure," said Currie.

"Right now there's a volume of work that's being done, the impact analysis on the [money from five-year-olds being] taken out of the sector."

Currie said the government is also aware there is a need to look at somehow increasing wages for early childhood educators.

Crane said she is surprised by what she calls a lack of planning in early childhood education, and said it should be part of government 's whole prosperity strategy. Quality daycare, she said, is an essential component of getting people to work.

"We've seen a number of glossy documents," she said.

"Islanders, especially parents, employers have come to us as well, [and said] we need affordable, accessible childcare."

Currie said he can't make any commitment right now because the budget, which will not be delivered until later in the month, is still being written.

via www.cbc.ca

CBC News – Prince Edward Island – Parents worried about childcare rates

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Parents are starting to lobby the P.E.I. government to provide money for child-care centres because rates could go up by 30 per cent next fall.

Child-care centres will lose an important revenue source when kindergarten moves into the school system this fall, and some centres say they'll have to increase their rates from 10 to 30 per cent.

Right now, the province pays the centres a subsidy for every child in kindergarten, and is considering a new subsidy for child-care centres.

That's something that Laurie Brehaut is pushing for. She recently learned the child-care bill for her two young kids could increase by $300 a month this September, bringing the monthly cost up to $1,500.

"We're trying to arrange a public forum where parents from all over the Island can come together and express their concerns to the powers that be," she said Friday.

When Brehaut's maternity leave runs out in August, her six-month-old daughter will join her three-year-old son at Campus Kids Child Care Centre in Charlottetown.

"It's stressful. We're planning on having more kids, and we've been talking about it, we'll have to wait until the ones we have are out of daycare," she said.

Brehaut said she and her husband have even thought about one of them staying home to look after the kids.

"But, it's just not feasible with student loans and whatnot," she said.

Alice Taylor, with the Early Childhood Development Association, said the cut in funding is posing a problem for child-care owners.

"The operators are in a real quandary. It's a real ethical dilemma for them. Early childhood care and education for children is about the relationship with the families, as well," she said.

Two long-time Charlottetown pre-schools are closing because staff are taking positions teaching kindergarten in the school system.

The Brighton School of Early Learning and Spring Park School of Early Learning have sent letters notifying parents of the shutdown in June. The Brighton School has operated for about 40 years. Prior to 1995, it was known as Mrs. Chang's.

via www.cbc.ca