Wednesday October 27, 2010 was Child Care Worker & Early Childhood Educator Appreciation Day and marked the 10th Anniversary of the celebration.
We still have many buttons that we would be happy to send for those interested. For those of you who held events and celebrations in honour of this special day, please send us pictures so we can share them here! Send us an e-mail!
Premier Dalton McGuinty wrote on his twitter account in recognition of Child Care Worker and ECE Appreciation Day!
@Dalton_McGuinty : @ChildCareON ECEs and teachers are doing a fantastic job for kids in full day kindergarten. An unbeatable combination.Thank you.
@Dalton_McGuinty : We're proud of the work our early childhood educators do. Thanks for getting our children off to the best start in life. #FDK #ECE #CCWAD
The Honourable Leona Dombrowsky, Ontario's Minister of Education, made a statement at the Legislative Assembly of Ontario recognizing this imoportant Day.
"Child care workers and early childhood educators are valued partners in our government’s ongoing efforts to build a strong publicly funded education system and an accessible, high-quality child care sector.
Chaque jour, ces personnes s’attachent inlassablement à fournir des soins de qualité aux enfants de toute la province et à favoriser leur développement physique, intellectuel, social et créatif.
With passion and commitment, they work hard to give children the foundation they need to reach their full potential and contribute to our success as a province. Child Care Worker and Early Childhood Educator Appreciation Day is a great opportunity to celebrate these contributions" - She said.
Lastly, NDP MPP France Gélinas emphasized the imporance of sticking to the full vision for a comprehensive plan laid out in Dr. Charles Pascal's report and ensuring there are sufficient ECEs to deliver the Early Learning Program as well as stabilize community-based child care for other age groups:
It is "our view that the accessibility of high-quality child care should be a right to every Ontario family. But today we are far from achieving this goal. There is lots of work left to be done ...we fought for a better, more comprehensive plan that would have been in line with what Dr. Charles Pascal has put in his report. We know that Ontario full-day kindergarten requires an additional 20,000 early childhood educators within the next five years... Early childhood educators are an essential part of the government’s plan for full-day kindergarten, but the need for those workers and the profession as a whole continues to be ignored by this government."
Conservative MPP and former minister of Education Elizabeth Witmer also recognized the significant role early childhood educators play in our communities, and addressed the concerns being addressed by child care advocates such as the OCBCC:
"...there is some concern about the uncertain future that some of the child care workers and early childhood educators are facing in our province because of the way in which full-day kindergarten has been implemented. There is certainly some concern being expressed about whether or not we’ll be able to meet the demands, and also the fact that in our daycares, many of the child care workers and early childhood educators are leaving. It’s a mass exodus because they can get better-paying jobs and benefits within our schools...I would encourage the government, as they roll out full-day kindergarten, to take into consideration the impact it’s having on the long-established, highly successful child care organizations in our province that may no longer be viable in the future. I urge the government to get it right, to determine the best approach and to make sure that our child care providers, our ECEs and our children are not paying the price for the implementation, which is causing concern.
To read a more complete transcript of the statements in the house, please click here.
OCBCC Press Conference at Queen's Park: Joined by CUPE Ontario President Fred Hahn and Marie Kelly of the Ontario Federation of Labour, we held a press conference to recognize the day. We focused on the impending workforce shortage in the early childhood education sector.
To read the article in the Toronto Star, please click here.
Thanks to 83 towns, cities and a school board for proclaiming October 27 "Child Care Worker and ECE Appreciation Day". Click here for List of Official Proclamations 2010.
To read an article about a celebration for the staff at the Goderich Municipal Childcare Centre, please click here.
Our Day could not happen without the generous support of our labour partners: Ontario Federation of Labour, CUPE Ontario, Canadian Auto Workers, Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation, Ontario Public Service Employees Union, Elementary Teachers' Federation, Ontario English Catholic Teachers' Association and National Union of Public and General Employees.
For 10 years, we have been able to rely on you to help us recognize, appreciate and celebrate the work of everyone who makes early learning happen. Thank You!
To read the 2010 Resolution declaring October 27th, 2010 as Child Care Worker and Early Childhood Educator Appreciation Day, please click here.
Pour lire la résolution du 10e Journée annuelle d’appréciation des éducatrices et éducateurs des services d’apprentissage et de garde des jeunes enfants cliquez içi.
The celebrations don't have to end now! Feel free to download the poster by clicking here. You can also download the editable certificate in both English and French by clicking here!
From friends in Sudbury: great posters for kids and families to fill out. "My educator is special because..." Available in french and English! Click on the links below!
Blue Ribbon Frame English, Ruban bleu, Candy Frame, Cadre de bonbons, Celebration frame, Cadre de la célébration, Thought bubble
Fred Hahn, president of CUPE Ontario and Tracy Saarikoski, president of the OCBCC, sent letters to Municipalities ands school boards asking for their support of the event.
To read the letters sent to municipalities and school boards, please click the links below.
CCWAD Letter to Mayors and Councilors
CCWAD Letter to School boards (English)
CCWAD Letter to School Boards (en français)
In addition to the letter describing the event we also sent suggestions for how to recognize the event at both the municipal and school board level. For these ideas, please click here. Pour des idées pour souligner la journée, cliquez içi.