ECEC in the 2004 federal election

How ECEC is positioned in the political parties' platforms

Election platform:
Moving Canada forward. Foundations -- A national early learning and child care program
SOURCE Liberal Party of Canada, Windsor, June 3, 2004
Platform in html or in pdf.
Excerpt:

FOUNDATIONS: A NATIONAL EARLY LEARNING AND CHILD CARE PROGRAM

The case is compelling for investing in high-quality early learning and care available to every child. Studies conducted in Canada and throughout the world conclude that good child care and early learning contribute immensely to the healthy growth of children, as well as to their physical, emotional, social, linguistic and intellectual development. Simply put, it gives kids the best possible start in life.

Accessible and affordable child care and early learning are also smart investments in our economy. To begin with, these investments respond to the reality of modern life: that both parents want to, and often need to participate more fully in the paid labour force while knowing that their children are thriving in a caring, stimulating environment. Investments in child care and early learning are also smart because they help to level the playing field for those disadvantaged by birth or background, and because they set our youngest on the path to lifelong achievement. As well, Canadians know that education is the key to success in the 21st century economy. A strong, national program of early learning and care for Canada’s children is the single best investment we can make in our future. This is clear to anyone who has ever watched a child learn to read, or gaze at a map, or work at building something with others.

Child care and early learning are part of a broader pattern. Access to learning opportunities throughout one’s lifetime is critical…a Liberal government will act on the knowledge that the foundation for future achievement is set in early childhood, when intellectual and emotional potential can be encouraged and nurtured. Traditional day care can be expensive, and it does not always include an educational element. We believe that every child will benefit from learning at an early age, and that no child should be denied access to such benefits by reason of cost. That’s a big part of what Canada is about.

But Canada clearly has not done enough. Progressive systems are commonplace throughout Europe. In France for example, virtually all children from the age of two-and-a-half receive care for the full school day. Denmark has a comprehensive, largely publicly-funded program for all children younger than age seven. The systems in Canada and the U.S. are nowhere near as advanced. Child care programs exist in provinces across the country, but they are very uneven. Some offer a learning component, others less so. Some require high levels of professionalism of those working in the publicly-supported system, others less so.

Quebec provides the exceptional example. It is the North American leader in early learning and care. In Quebec’s system, community-based organizations provide child care at a moderate fee. This is a standard to which early learning and care across Canada should be lifted. Learning from each other and embracing what has worked elsewhere in Canada, makes us stronger as a nation and as a people. That’s what our federation is all about.
The time has come to do more. Over the next decade we must build for Canada’s children and parents an early learning and child care system for the 21st century.

A LIBERAL GOVERNMENT WILL CREATE FOUNDATIONS: THE NATIONAL EARLY LEARNING AND CHILD CARE PROGRAM

We will phase in a contribution of $5 billion over the next five years, beyond funds already committed, to accelerate building the national system. The Foundations program will ensure that children have access to high-quality, government-regulated spaces at affordable cost to parents.

A Liberal government will enshrine in legislation four principles for Foundations – the “QUAD”:

> QUALITY - Each facility must be regulated by the province or territory to ensure safety and an appropriate complement of professionally-qualified child development staff.
> UNIVERSALITY - The program will be open, without discrimination, to pre-school children, including children with special needs.
> ACCESSIBILITY - The program will be affordable for parents.
> DEVELOPMENTAL - The program must include a component of development/learning that is integrated with the care component.

Attempts to bring provincial programs to a high standard have been made before. The Liberal government sought in the early 1990s to put in place an early learning and child care program. Unfortunately it was not possible to reach agreement with the provinces at the time, in part because almost all governments were struggling to cope with unsustainable fiscal situations, but also due to the fact that there was no agreed-upon process to guide federal investment in the provinces’ domain of social policy.

However, in early 1999, a Social Union Framework Agreement (SUFA) was reached on principles regarding the creation of joint initiatives. Already the Liberal government had worked successfully with the provinces and territories to develop the National Child Benefit in 1997. Since then, federal commitments to the NCB have increased to ensure more than $10 billion annually by 2007. Meanwhile, in the area of early learning and child care, considerable progress has been made by provinces themselves and through co-operative efforts among the federal, provincial and territorial governments, notably the Early Childhood Development Agreement (2000), and the Multilateral Framework on Early Learning and Child Care (2003). Federal contributions in these areas were accelerated in the last budget. Existing commitments now total $3.6 billion over five years, 2004-05 through 2008-09.

The implementation and details of the new Foundations program will be worked out collaboratively with provinces and territories consistent with the principles of the Social Union Framework Agreement. Provided provincial early learning and child care programs meet the QUAD principles, provinces will have flexibility to design a roll-out plan based on the most appropriate implementation to suit their circumstances.

To receive funding under the new Foundations program, provinces and territories will be invited to pass legislation implementing the QUAD principles. It is hoped that provinces will also contribute additional funds beyond those they are already spending on early learning and child care. Even if they do not, the federal government will provide a per capita share of funds to support existing provincial or territorial programs that embody the QUAD principles. But in this case the province’s program would have fewer spaces or would develop more slowly than would be the case if the province contributed new funds.

Governing is about making choices – choices about how to devote finite resources so that they accomplish the most good for the people. A Liberal government will choose to invest in our children. Canada needs an early learning and child care system of high quality. Right now, we have a beginning, but we need to finish the job. A Liberal government will work with its provincial and territorial partners – just as we did with the National Child Benefit – to give Canada’s children the start they need, the Foundation upon which their success, and ours as a nation, will be built.

Caring for our children: Our future depends on it
SOURCE Liberal Party election web site, May 2004.
Brief in html. Excerpt:

“The Liberal government has always understood that our future depends on the children of today. That’s why we have always been committed to programs that assist parents and families in their efforts to raise healthy, stable and educated children.

In particular, this new government understands the vital importance of a child’s formative years. It is in the first five years that children not only learn the basics of life, but the values and principles that will guide them into the future.

Child care centres are often an important part of a family’s life. When parents need the tools and resources for healthy parenting, they need to know there’s a good place that can help out. Through our Multilateral Framework for Early Learning and Child Care – introduced in March 2003 – we have programs and services that support child care centres. We will speed up our progress on these programs. This will mean more quality child-care spaces – more quickly.”

Budget 2004: Learning -- Cornerstone of Canada's economic and social progresss
SOURCE Government of Canada, Federal Budget 2004, March 2004
Budget text available in html or in pdf.
Excerpt:

“Early learning and child care play an important role in the development of young children.

Budget 2004 proposes to accelerate implementation of the Multilateral Framework on Early Learning and Child Care by providing an additional $75 million in 2004–05 and $75 million in 2005–06.

The total federal commitment to early learning and child care will be $375 million over the next two years. This is an increase of two-thirds over previously committed funds. It will mean up to 48,000 new child care spaces or up to 70,000 fully subsidized spaces for children from low-income families.

Budget 2004 also adds a further $10 million over four years for early learning and child care services for First Nations children living on reserves. This brings the federal government’s total investment to $45 million.”

CONSERVATIVE PARTY

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This list in not intended to be an exhaustive examination of this topic; for a more comprehensive list, search the Childcare Resource and Research Unit resource library catalogue Childcare Information Resource Collection (CIRC).