Parents for Choice & Quality writes to Minister Currie

Parents for Choice and Quality Society
RR#3, Montague
Summerville, PE C0A 1R0

April 20, 2010

Hon. Mr. Currie
Minister of Education and Early Childhood Development
P.O. Box 2000
Charlottetown, PE
C1A 7N8

Dear Minister Currie,

You may recall our grassroots group Parents for Choice and Quality,
which began in 2008 when your Department attempted to change the Child
Care Facilities Act and Regulations without proper public consultation.
At that time, we were concerned about a number of the proposed changes;
which included the potential for a cap to be placed on the approval of
new child care licenses. As a group consisting of mothers, fathers,
grandparents, child care centres, industry professionals and concerned
citizens of PEI we voiced our concerns and your government heard us by
not only extending the consultation process but by ensuring that a cap
on new child care licenses did not occur.

Since our initial involvement with this issue, our group has grown into
a formal not for profit organization whose goals include:

• Providing leadership that supports children and families in achieving their full potential.
• Supporting the development and operation of a range of quality,
community based service choices and opportunities related to early
childhood development, education, child care and other family related
issues; and
• Providing a voice and leadership for children and families, by keeping their needs on the on the agendas of legislators.

We write to you again now as we hear that critical changes to the early
learning and care sector are expected to be announced shortly. While we
applaud your Government for it’s commitment to this issue and for the
anticipated investments that will be made in ECE wages, direct grants
and infant spaces, we are also very concerned on a number of levels.

We understand that the concept of placing a freeze on new child care
licenses (or a cap on spaces) may once again be back on the agenda.
This is of exceptional concern to us, as we know that it will do
nothing to ensure choice or quality for Island families or children. We
strongly feel that any cap on spaces puts the needs of child care
operators before the needs of families. You will
recall a 2006 policy decision that Government made which put the needs
of child care operators before the needs of Island kindergarten
children. The Kindergarten funding policy placed a cap on any new
funded spaces and resulted in limited Kindergarten choices for families
as well as a shortage of funded spaces in some communities. We are
concerned that the same situation may transpire in the child care
sector, but on a much broader scale, if a freeze or cap is placed on
any new child care spaces or licenses being approved. Further, given
the broad range of quality levels that exist across the Province,
combined
with the significant loss of qualified Early Childhood Educators from
the field due to the Kindergarten transition, we caution that any such
a cap or freeze may in fact protect and entrench low quality programs.
Can you please provide us with
written assurance that a freeze or cap will not be placed on new child
care spaces or licenses as a result of the anticipated investments that
your government plan to make in the sector?

The consultation process for the “Framework for Early Childhood
Development in Prince Edward Island” seems to have been both rushed and
flawed. With no open public consultation, the process seems to have
been designed to primarily serve the needs of the early childhood
sector. We acknowledge the opportunity to participate in an online
parent survey, but suggest that this was rushed and the deadline tight.
We understand that parent focus groups were hosted, but were by
invitation only. We wonder if the needs of the sector might have
actually overshadowed the needs of Island families in this process?

There is no doubt that the early learning and care sector needs an
immediate crisis intervention plan, but to expect a 5 Year Action Plan
to come out of the consultation process that took place is
unreasonable. Further, we continue to be confused about if the process
has been about developing a framework for the sector alone or about
developing a vision for the early years in PEI.
On November 12, 2009 the following statement was made as part of the PEI Throne Speech:

“In the coming year, my Government will build on this work through a
comprehensive review to establish a vision and long-term strategy for
the healthy development and well-being of Island children and their
families.”

Later that same month, a Press Release from the PEI Government stated:

“The provincial government announced in the Speech from the Throne that
it will soon initiate a wider process to establish a vision and long
term strategy for the early childhood sector. This will bring parents,
early childhood educators and partners together to identify what we
want for our children, and how we can work together towards a vibrant,
sustainable early childhood sector in Prince Edward Island.”

We wish to point out that the “development of a vision and long-term
strategy for the healthy development and well-being of Island children
and their families” is actually very different than the “establishment
of a vision and long term strategy for the early childhood sector”.
While we strongly support addressing the critical issues that the
sector is facing, we are concerned that so many aspects of addressing
the early years will be missed should the main focus of the strategy be
about stabilizing the sector alone. We have long maintained that Prince
Edward Island urgently needs a comprehensive, broad based early years
strategy that addresses the needs of ALL young children (not just those
who are in child care programs.) Can you please clarify in writing if
the scope of the “Framework for Early Childhood Development in Prince
Edward Island” process is about producing a vision and long term
strategy for Island children OR about the producing a vision and long
term strategy for the early childhood sector?

In closing, we find ourselves questioning if there is not a conflict of
interest in hiring a consultant to complete the “Framework for Early
Childhood Development in Prince Edward Island” who also has close
family connections to the ownership and operation of a child care
centre? Please provide us with written assurance that no conflict of
interest has occurred in any aspect of the work completed to date and
that the written report will be one that is unbiased. In addition, we
are looking for reassurance that the needs of Island children and
families have been fairly considered; given that the consultant is so
closely connected to the very sector they are making key policy
recommendations about.

We look forward to hearing back from you as soon as possible.

Yours truly,

Jane Boyd, President
April Ennis, Vice-President
Parents for Choice and Quality Society

www.choiceandquality.wordp