Child care – let’s make it happen! That’s the rallying call for work the BCGEU is doing with the B.C. Coalition of Child Care Advocates to press for a national child care program that is comprehensive, publicly funded, accessible, affordable, licensed and professionally staffed. Building on the experience of the members we represent in child care agencies, the union is a leader in the province in the fight for child care.
'Child Care - Let's Make it Happen' campaign
B.C.’s child care crisis was publicized at the Child Care – Let’s Make It Happen! press conference Nov. 17/06: (l>r) Caroline Kent, BCGEU member and early childhood educator; Julie Linkletter, Vancouver parent; Sharon Gregson, spokesperson for the Coalition of Child Care Advocates of B.C.; Mike Clarke, BCGEU vice president; and Morna Ballantyne, national coordinator, Code Blue for Child Care.
Click here to view a webcast of the press conference.
COMMUNITY FORUMS
Child Care – Let’s Make It Happen community forums happened in the spring of 2006 around B.C. Locations included Prince George, Kamloops, Victoria, Nanaimo, Vancouver and Maple Ridge. More events are being scheduled for the fall of 2006. Please check here regularly for updates.
The Harper minority government broke the Child Care promise by refusing to honor the provincial-federal government agreements signed in 2005 that would provide $5 billion in federal funding over five years (2004/05 to 2009/10) to create a quality, national child care system in Canada. While the Harper government's taxable family allowance will help some families, it does not create the sustainable child care spaces that are desperately needed.
