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Non-profit child care will not sacrifice quality [CA]

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Letter to the editor
Author: 
Thompson, Virginia
Format: 
Article
Publication Date: 
11 Feb 2005
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EXCERPTS

Re: Canadian mines 'big-box' daycare

Eddy Groves, the millionaire child care operator from Australia, didn't make his millions without sacrificing quality in his daycares. As an operator of a non-profit child care centre in Toronto, I know there is no way that anyone can make such exorbitant profits from caring for children unless they've made enormous cuts to their operation. As child care requires a high staff-to-child ratio, the biggest profits would come from decreasing the staff and cutting their wages and benefits. The staff is the heart of any quality child care program. A high staff-to-child ratio combined with decent wages and benefits will ensure that highly trained, committed early childhood educators care for our children.

The Australian experience shows what will happen if the federal government allows child care money to go to private operators. We don't want our school system run by a corporate chain, nor our hospitals. Why would we allow our children to be cared for by a corporation out to make profits?

I implore Social Development Minister Ken Dryden to say no to big box child care and to put the building blocks for child care firmly in place, starting with a commitment to allow government funds to go only for non-profit child care.

- reprinted from the Toronto Star