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BCGEU co-hosts important town hall meeting on child care
Vancouver - More than 200 parents, early childhood educators and
advocates attended a standing-room only town hall meeting
co-sponsored by the British Columbia Government and Service
Employees' Union (BCGEU/NUPGE) and the Coalition of Child Care
Advocates of B.C. (CCCABC).
The meeting took place Oct. 3 in Burnaby. |
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Lynne Wannan,
Australian child care advocate; Rita Chudnovsky, CCCABC and
George Heyman, BCGEU |
BCGEU president George Heyman was one of three panelists who
underlined the need to ensure that new federal funding for child care
is directed to affordable, accessible, licensed and not-for-profit
child care in B.C.
“The federal government has promised $633 million to our province for
child care, but B.C. families need assurances from the B.C. Liberal
government that this money will be used as it is intended – to build a
foundation for a sustainable child care system,” said Heyman.
Guests speakers included Australian child care policy expert Lynne Wannan, who is currently on a cross-Canada tour to warn Canadians
about her country’s experience with the proliferation of commercial
child care.
Wannan described the Wal-Mart-style takeover of child care in
Australia, and the resulting public policy crisis:
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Access for immigrants, aboriginal populations, children with
special needs, rural and low income families has been
restricted.
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Community-based child care programs and small owner/operators
have been squeezed out.
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More state funding has gone to monitoring and prosecuting
violations.
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The working conditions of child care workers have declined. |
Sharon Gregson, spokesperson for the CCCABC, said the federal funding
should be enough to make a difference for many families, but B.C.
needs a real plan of action.
“Parents, advocates and early childhood educators must work together
to ensure this money builds a system, and doesn’t just fill a black
hole,” Gregson said. NUPGE
More information:
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Lynn Wannan's cross-Canada tour
Web posted by NUPGE:
7 October 2005
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