One way for children to realize their fullest potential, in present time, is by having more time to be with their family.

But time together is getting squeezed by the unfair economic conditions faced by too many BC families.

This growing “time-squeeze” is taking its toll in the following ways:

• longer work weeks
• greater income inequality
• persistent gender-based wage inequities
• out-of-reach post secondary education costs
• longer and more tiresome commutes
• shrinking community programs
• disregard for the rights, aspirations, and needs of First Nations communities in BC
• skyrocketing and unaffordable housing costs
• greater social and economic insecurity, and growing levels of poverty in the province

Given that time together is of such great value (to children, to families, and to the community as a whole), it’s time to figure out how to provide families with the resources and supports required to overcome these challenges. The provision of universal public child care, staffed by well-qualified early care and learning professionals, is a necessary part of unsqueezing BC families. The promise of universal public child care is more time for families to be together.

Core to this vision are our guiding values of:

• Unconditional respect
• Universal dignity
• Shared responsibility in child care

Building a Broad Social Movement to Transform Child Care

To realize our vision, we’re developing our capacity as leaders and connecting with others who share our commitment to the values of unconditional respect, universal dignity, and shared responsibility in child care.

We’re developing our skills as child care providers, through workshops and leadership “learning circles” that provide time, place, and people to reflect and learn with each other.

We’re figuring out how to transform the way BC relates to its youngest community members, how we support one another, and how we care for everyone – regardless of age.

Our aim is to help build a broad social movement that’s capable of realizing our vision and advancing our values. That’s why we’re totally focused on building an all volunteer and grassroots network of child care workers. Currently all of our funding comes from the donations we receive from members who attend our workshops, community events, and other leadership development programs.

We recognize anyone who cares for a child to be a child care worker, including unpaid and under paid care providers. Most child care is provided without pay, by moms, dads, grandparents, neighbours, friends, and others in the community. Much of the remaining care is provided by under paid workers, such as by nannies, family care providers, early childhood educators, and preschool teachers. By working together, we think we can figure out how to shift the priorities of BC in order to ensure that everyone’s included in the provision of adequate and equitable child care supports.

ECE Professional Development Programs

We are building a network of all-volunteer and grassroots child care leadership schools throughout British Columbia. These schools will offer workshops wherever we are, including in our homes, at community centres, in church basements, and at child care centres.

Currently we offer workshops in Vancouver and Victoria, with plans to expand in the next couple of years to other BC communities. Our current workshops are developed primarily for family care providers and early childhood educators who work with children in group settings. (Families are welcome to attend, but some of the content may not directly apply to family contexts.) Later, we’ll offer parenting and other workshops that are aimed at other care providers working in individual or small group contexts.

Learn More about ECE Professional Development Workshops

Our ECE Professional Development Workshops Are:

• Participatory
• Practical and thought provoking
• Community building

(Photo credit: CafeMama. Creative Commons.)