Kit for Child Care Supervisors Meeting May 2013

We have combined several fact sheets into a kit for child care supervisors.

Included:

Fact Sheet: Child Care Funding Formula Changes

Fact Sheet: Working with your CMSM or DSSAB

Fact Sheet: Advocacy Makes a Difference

Katie Arnup has taken a leave of absence from the OCBCC. We are hiring a replacement on contract and the deadline for application is May 31. The job is located in Toronto.

Summary of Position

Membership and Administration Coordinator, reporting to the Board of Directors, is primarily responsible for all office and financial administration, as well as membership and membership support. Working under the direction of the Coordinator of the OCBCC, the position also includes assistance with communication and outreach and participation in OCBCC campaigns. The position also includes extensive work with volunteers.

» Continue reading “OCBCC Contract Position: Membership and Administration Coordinator”

The London Free Press reports that the City of London, partnering with the Province of Ontario, will sponsor a study on why there is a shortage of RECE’s  despite increasing demand.

What a great opportunity to summarize some of the excellent information already out there. The Child Care Human Resources Sector Council was a federal board of child care employers specifically tasked with researching labour market shortages in early childhood education. Unfortunately, the Sector Council was recently defunded by the Federal Conservative government, but not before publishing up to date and comprehensive research.

You Bet We Still Care, published this year, has excellent facts and figures about the challenges for our sector.

- Ontario parents pay the highest child care fees in Canada (page 15).

- Over the last 14 years, in Ontario, wages for early childhood educators have declined by 2.7% (page 18)

You can access the study and many reports on ECE Training, Qualifications and Retention at: http://www.ccsc-cssge.ca/

The two statistics show the essential problem with child care. We expect parents to pay the full costs. If parents can’t afford the full cost, they can apply for a subsidy. Those same parents – paying the highest fees – are responsible for wage increases though child care board of directors. Until we have base funding – allowing child care fees to be reduced and wages to be increased – Ontario wages will remain stagnant. As long as most RECE’s are underpaid and undervalued, we will continue to see qualified staff leave the field to work in other sectors.

To read the full article, please click here: http://www.lfpress.com/2013/04/21/city-seeks-labour-study-into-shortage-of-educators

The campaign for $10 / day child care has put child care on the map as one of the issues in the BC election campaign.

Going into the campaign, child care advocates had over 6000 endorsements for the child care plan – which has put enormous pressure on the political parties.

Neither of the main two political parties has committed to $ 10 /day child care but the NDP party committed to increasing spaces and reducing infant and toddler fees by 20% for licensed child care. A small, but significant step to $10 / day child care.

For more information you can go to: http://www.cccabc.bc.ca/

Canada’s national unions have joined together to advocate for more child care.

Millions of Canada workers are members of unions.  Child care is a real workplace issue. How many parents need acommodation from their employers when they return to work after maternity leave because they lack reliable child care? Lots.

In November, the Canadian Human Resource Reporter published a survey showing that 30% of calls to employee assistance programs were researching child care.  It’s an astonishing number of calls and shows that child care is a top workplace issue.

The first step of Rethink Child Care is The Video. It’s a “much watch” and you can find it here: http://rethinkchildcare.ca/video/

When we started our current website, with WordPress blogging software,  it was cutting edge. Years later our site looks confusing, cluttered and it can be hard to find what you are looking for….so the OCBCC will soon launch a new website!

Our new website will be new cutting-edge technology, called Nation Builder.

We are working with a company www.campaigngears.com for integrated campaign software.

More than just a website, the program integrates our member and supporter databases so we can customize more information for you and be a more effective force for affordable, high quality, not-for-profit child care! If you have used our website, either finding what you need or having trouble locating information, we have a short set of questions.

» Continue reading “Coming Soon! New OCBCC Website”

In Ontario, early learning and child care programs have faced chronic underfunding and new financial pressures from the implementation of Ontario’s full-day kindergarten programs. The Coalition recognizes the efforts of the Ministry of Education to provide more predictable funding for municipal service managers and child care programs though a new funding formula announced in December.

However, that funding formula calls for huge cuts to child care funding for 18 communities in 2017.   Cuts to child care funding are completely unacceptable. Many of these communities are among the most economically hard hit areas of Ontario – communities that can’t afford to lose child care funding. We must bring funding for all communities up to ensure fairness, but we can’t accept cuts to child care funding for any community in Ontario. A fair funding formula for child care must not take from one community to give to another. The OCBCC send a letter to MPP’s in the affected communities asking them to stand up for child care. Specifically, we have asked each MPP if he or she would ask a question in the legislature » Continue reading “OCBCC appeals to 18 MPP’s to stand up for child care in local communities”

TORONTO, May 2, 2013 /CNW/ – Child care advocates are frustrated and angry at the lack of child care funding in the 2013 provincial budget.

The Toronto Star called on the provincial govenrment to intervene and fix problems with full-day learning including the extended day programs for 4 and 5 year olds.

Citing research demonstrating the importance of early years education, the Star calls on the Ministry of Education – repsonsible for child care as well as Ontario’s schools – to intervene and ensure affordable programs for children and that already underfunded child care programs do not further suffer with downloaded responsibilities.

To read the full editorial, please click here.