Ontario Caregivers - daycare announcement due today

[playfelt]

Quote: "I am not sure about a rally...I worry that it will come across as us providers not wanting to improve the safety of the kids in daycare. "

It needs to be a rally by the parents that will be effected by this new system but then us supporting them.

As far as your son goes, no one is going to know who is registered and who is not so having the 6th child will be the norm for some and not others as well as no one knowing how old a child is so for that we stand to benefit from the peering eyes.

[Teagansmom]

Yes, maybe a rally may not be a good idea. I'm just thinking of a way to get the media to hear us out. I am all for more safety measures put in place.

[username]

I think we should be pushing for registration where by we would apply each year for a permit. It would be displayed in our front window (like most businesses that require permits) to notify parents and neighbours of each home's capacity whether it be 3-8 children. It would also state if the provider had her own children under the age of 6. All paperwork (proof of liability, fire inspection, CPR training etc.) would me submitted electronically or my mail and a permit would be issued on an annual basis. Providers would pay for a site inspection possibly to a registering body through the government, an agency or perhaps the OEYC. The amount of children you could care for would be determined by the ages of the provider's own children, location, space available, training, perhaps a fenced yard etc. but each site could be assessed separately...again, paid for by the provider. The permit would contain the number of children allowed and who to call should you believe the provider is in violation of the permit.

[sunnydays]

I took that directly from the legislature website this morning. It is not looking good for us in my opinion.

[playfelt]

We need to get the parents to be upset and afraid and voice their opinions. Otherwise it is just a bunch of us whining about a loss of income but who is going to have sympathy when the safety of kids is involved. One of the reasons they linked both parts of the reform to one bill. On the other hand from a positive standpoint getting the bill passed on the safety angle is going to be fairly easy meaning the other changes just get included. Really the options were to totally remove the unlicensed option which is what most had feared was going to happen. This may be the best we can get and still exist.

[sunnydays]

This is what is happening today in legislature (it looks as though they really are trying to push it through fast):
CHILD CARE CENTRES

Mr. Steven Del Duca: My question today is for the Minister of Education. I was pleased to learn yesterday about the steps that our government is taking to strengthen oversight of the province’s unlicensed child care sector while increasing access to licensed child care options for families.

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I’m even more pleased to learn that our government has placed a priority on reforming a piece of legislation that hasn’t been reviewed in 30 years. Over the last year, we’ve all seen heartbreaking tragedy in my community of Vaughan within the unlicensed sector. I understand that much of the proposed legislation is aimed at addressing oversight within the unlicensed sector that could help prevent such a tragedy from happening again.

Speaker, through you to the minister, can she please describe how this legislation will improve and strengthen oversight in this sector?

Hon. Liz Sandals: Thank you, Speaker, and thank you to the member for Vaughan for raising this important issue.

The member is absolutely correct. This legislation is overdue for a comprehensive update. That is why, well over a year ago, we began to consult with parents and stakeholders on how to update the legislation.

I’m proud of the legislation which was tabled yesterday in this House and which, if passed, will improve oversight in the unlicensed sector. If passed, it will allow the province to immediately shut down a child care provider when a child’s safety is at risk. It would give the province the authority to issue administrative penalties of up to $100,000 per infraction by a child care provider. It would also increase the maximum penalty for illegal offences under the act from $2,000 in the current act to $250,000 in the new act. It would increase the number of children a licensed home-based child care provider can care for from five to six, and it would require all private schools that care for children under four to have a licence.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Thank you. Supplementary?

Mr. Steven Del Duca: I thank the minister for her response. I also know that our government has already taken steps to improve the oversight of child care. These include a dedicated enforcement team to investigate complaints against unlicensed providers and the development of an online searchable database of validated complaints.

Speaker, through you to the minister, can the minister please share with this House why this piece of legislation is critical and why it needs to move through our legislative process as quickly as possible?

Hon. Liz Sandals: Another excellent question from the member from Vaughan.

As the member pointed out in the previous question, the current piece of legislation that governs child care, the Day Nurseries Act, was enacted in 1946 and has not been comprehensively updated since 1983. Speaker, that’s 30 years ago. The legislation does not reflect the current needs of our children and parents.

The Child Care Modernization Act would help transform the child care and early years system to better meet the needs of both the parents who use and rely on the system and the children who are placed in its care.

Speaker, I was pleased to hear yesterday from both parties in the House their acknowledgement and understanding of the importance of this legislation. Both of them seem to think we need this legislation quickly, and I hope they will both support and help us to pass the legislation quickly.

[Wonderwiper]

Ah good times!!!!

As some of you know....all my daycare kids are under 2 plus I have my own dd under 2 and my dd 3.

Now, I am lucky that my income pays for our extras and we are ok without it because I will have to ditch most of my dck.

I know many of us feel hopeless but aren't really able to rally etc. It takes a few seconds to email every opposition MP as well as media outlets. I just did so using copy and paste!!!

Maybe if enough inboxes are full of the same concerns then someone will notice.

[treeholm]

I just sent this to my Liberal MPP

Hello xxx,
I need to express my serious concerns about the daycare legislation currently being proposed by the Liberals. I am all for improving the safety of our children and grandchildren, but there is an important piece of information being left out.
Home daycares usually choose to remain unregistered because of the requirement that registered daycares adhere to ratios of having no more than 2 children under two. Unregistered daycares are permitted no more than 5 children, plus their own, but can have whatever ages they want as long as they remain within the limits of 5 children plus their own.
The Liberals are proposing that unregistered daycares be forced to adhere to those ratios in order to removed the financial incentive to remain unregistered. I understand that... but what will happen to the thousands of one year olds who will immediately lose their daycare spot? For example, I have one friend who has two little ones of her own, plus 5 children under two. She will now have to FIRE four families. They cannot go to registered daycares, because there are no spots for one year olds since the registered daycares already have to follow the "no more than 2 under 2 rule". They can't go to daycare centres, because the spots for one year olds are very limited there as well, due to the high cost of having one year olds. Everyone will be looking for 2 and 3 year olds for their daycares. Home daycares are already suffering because the four year olds have gone to full day Kindergarten. I can't see anyone addressing this in the media. Parents want safer daycares (of course) so think this is a great idea. When I point out to them that if their child is under two, they may very well be fired from their current daycare, they are shocked. They have often spent months during their mat leaves finding a wonderful daycare for their child, and now they will suddenly be told they cannot return to the daycare if this legislation takes effect. Please address this issue with the minister!
Thank you,
my name

[giraffe]

I just sent this to my Liberal MPP

Hello xxx,
I need to express my serious concerns about the daycare legislation currently being proposed by the Liberals. I am all for improving the safety of our children and grandchildren, but there is an important piece of information being left out.
Home daycares usually choose to remain unregistered because of the requirement that registered daycares adhere to ratios of having no more than 2 children under two. Unregistered daycares are permitted no more than 5 children, plus their own, but can have whatever ages they want as long as they remain within the limits of 5 children plus their own.
The Liberals are proposing that unregistered daycares be forced to adhere to those ratios in order to removed the financial incentive to remain unregistered. I understand that... but what will happen to the thousands of one year olds who will immediately lose their daycare spot? For example, I have one friend who has two little ones of her own, plus 5 children under two. She will now have to FIRE four families. They cannot go to registered daycares, because there are no spots for one year olds since the registered daycares already have to follow the "no more than 2 under 2 rule". They can't go to daycare centres, because the spots for one year olds are very limited there as well, due to the high cost of having one year olds. Everyone will be looking for 2 and 3 year olds for their daycares. Home daycares are already suffering because the four year olds have gone to full day Kindergarten. I can't see anyone addressing this in the media. Parents want safer daycares (of course) so think this is a great idea. When I point out to them that if their child is under two, they may very well be fired from their current daycare, they are shocked. They have often spent months during their mat leaves finding a wonderful daycare for their child, and now they will suddenly be told they cannot return to the daycare if this legislation takes effect. Please address this issue with the minister!
Thank you,
my name

You should send this to the media as well

[Wonderwiper]

Treeholm...that's similar to what I have been sending, except that I have been sending to the opposition. The liberals are anxious to steam roll this through. It is the opposition who may listen because their job is to scrutinise everything and make their own objections.