B.C.’s Child Care Workers
British Columbia’s child care workforce includes parents, step-parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, brothers, sisters, other formal and informal caregivers, nannies, domestic workers, preschool teachers, daycare workers, other early childhood educators, before and after school care providers, school teachers, other school staff, community organizers, faith leaders, community centre workers, cultural workers, librarians, social workers, nurses, doctors, public health workers, psychologists, therapists, education specialists, child development consultants, child care regulators, labour organizers, scholars, and everyone else whose work contributes to the care, education and well-being of children.
Despite how much B.C.’s people value child care, much of this work is either under paid or unpaid. Child care is also inadequately supported by governments and employers. My hope is to draw attention to ways that we can improve the child care provided to B.C.’s children. I also hope to draw attention to all child care workers, especially those who are under paid or unpaid. Exposing the conditions faced by low-wage workers and poor families, who cannot afford to go unpaid for their child care work, are of special interest to Liberation Learning.
Child care workers who are unpaid include:
- Parents, step-parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles, brothers and sisters
- Neighbours and friends
- Other primary caregivers
Child care workers who are under paid often include:
- Domestic workers
- Nannies
- Daycare workers
- Family or home-based child care workers
- Preschool workers
- Other early childhood educators
- Babysitters
- Informal care providers
Child care workers who are paid dignity-wages include:
- Public sector child care workers (including public school teachers, librarians, social workers, scholars, regulators)
- Child care workers at quality preschool and daycare centres (by definition, quality preschools and daycare centres pay workers dignity-wages)
- There are many other child care programs that pay workers dignity wages, all of which should be recognized for respecting human rights and reflecting the contributions of child care workers in supporting families and communities
