By Manena D.
When today’s families struggle to make ends meet, the option of having a stay-at-home parent is a luxury that is almost extinct. There are 3.1 million children under twelve years old with mothers in the paid workforce in Canada.
“A lot of women in the non-profit sector have been laid off recently. And the cuts that Ford is making to public sector workers will predominantly affect women” says Carolina Crewe, mother of two and teacher at York University.
Many who worked for the non-profit sector are finding it hard to find jobs due to the large funding cuts we just experienced in the public sector.
Families will be forced to take their kids out of daycare, losing their daycare space, while they search for a new job and struggle to survive on EI, if they qualify.
“Unemployment numbers point to a decrease in unemployment, yet the families I meet day-to-day, are still unemployed” says Crewe.
In the midst of high unemployment, chronic provincial underfunding has caused a widespread shortage of subsidies for low- and moderate-income parents, and sent child care fees soaring to between $10,000 and $15,000 a year.
Yet, the McGuinty plan for full-day kindergarten is only available in particular neighbourhoods right now. Lower income neighbourhoods with schools that struggle for funding, are missing out. This is where these programs are badly needed. Parents are struggling to make ends meet.
In addition, the McGuinty government failed to recognize the value of early childhood educators by establishing a two tier wage system for equal responsibilities within a classroom, wedging teachers against early childhood educators.
Ontario has too many qualified teachers who cannot find work, but, too few qualified early learning educators. They do not choose the profession because of the low salary. The McGuinty government is going to have a difficult time recruiting and maintaining staff to fill the pre-k teaching responsibilities at the few Ontario schools where early kindergarten is available.
There has never been a more compelling need for a truly universal child care system.
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