Excerpts from the press release:
On June 22, 2010, BC made a decision that will likely erode the quality of before and after school care for Kindergarten and Grade 1 children. Until now, BC Child Care Regulations required 1 staff person for every 10 children with a maximum group size of 20. The new regulations only require 1 staff person for every 12 children with a maximum group of 24.
....
- The BC government introduced full school day Kindergarten for 5 year olds with no thought about the impact on child care.
- They did not consult with the child care sector about moving 5 year olds from existing daycare programs to Kindergarten or about the impact on existing Kindercare programs for children in half day Kindergartens.
- They did not reduce class size or integrate early childhood educators into full day Kindergarten to ensure these programs are play-based, as required by their new Kindergarten Program Guide.
....
The Coalition of Child Care Advocates of BC calls on:
- Boards of Education to follow Vancouver's lead and refuse to use child care rents to generate profit at the expense of children and families.
- Families to tell MLAs they need affordable, quality early care and learning programs that meet the needs of children AND the needs of working families.
- The Premier to end the false divide between child care and education and develop an integrated early care and learning plan.