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One of my twin boys' favourite board games is called Sorry, a simple game were the real fun in the race around the board is in getting to land on the same spot as your brother, forcing him to move his piece back to where he started.
Like participants in Sorry, Alberta families who rely on or are looking for quality affordable childcare are starting to realize that something is about to land on them, and force them to take three steps backward.
The threat became more clear as Alberta's Minister of Children's Services, Heather Forsyth, met in Ottawa this past week with the new federal Minister of Human Resources and Social Development, Diane Finley.
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Unfortunately neither minister provided any answers to the anxious families who depend upon (and the people who work in) Alberta's struggling childcare system. The ministers' silence is deeply troubling: What exactly is going to happen if the federal government support for Alberta's new five-point plan for childcare is cut, as has been suggested by Prime Minister Stephen Harper?
While I am sure Alberta families would be happy to receive the $100 a month for each of their pre-school children promised by the federal Conservatives, I am not sure most parents understand what the other proposed changes will mean for them now and in the future.
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The $100 per month is a taxable benefit and therefore will result in far less than $1,200 a year for many families.
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Meanwhile, under Alberta's new five-point plan for childcare which resulted from the agreement with the previous federal government, there was a substantial increase in the number of families who are eligible, and in the subsidy amount for each child in childcare centres or licensed family day homes.
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If the five-point plan is cut, then families who have children in licensed day homes and childcare centres will lose the extra $120 in subsidies. Sorry, take one step back!
The agreement between the federal and provincial government was also about improving access to early childhood educational opportunities. The Alberta government chose to use the federal money to provide $100 a month per child for children to participate in early childhood education programs. If the five-point plan is cut, families will presumably lose this $100 per month. Sorry, take another step back!
The Alberta government's five-point plan also includes three additional important supports to improve the quality of our childcare system.
First, what will happen to the increased funding to improve access to specialized childcare for children with disabilities?
Second, Alberta has committed to increase support for centres and family day homes that complete the provincial accreditation program which assures families they are getting quality care for their children.
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Third, if the increases in support for wages and training opportunities for people working in accredited day care and approved family day home programs are cut, then the current crisis in attracting enough people into the profession will become even more severe.
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For some parents, the message will be, "Sorry, but you can no longer get your child into quality affordable childcare, so I guess you have to stay home!"
Most people share the belief that parents who are able and choose to stay home with their children should have the support and be fully valued for what they do. My wife and I were fortunate enough to have flexible employment that allowed us to be at home with our children in their early years.
However, the $100 a month is simply not going to make a difference for many families who are desperately looking for quality childcare and educational opportunities for their young children. And for many others, the recent promise of improvements in childcare seems about to be withdrawn, and in reality they face an actual decline in this vital area…. Childcare in Alberta will be dramatically undermined by "One step forward, three steps back."
- reprinted from the Edmonton Journal