Fun&care, I understand your concern, but I think it has to be up to the PARENTS to decide what is safe and acceptable for THEIR child. I have 3 kids of my own (6, 5, and 2) and have 5 daycare kids. But I chose to have 2 B/A school dckids and 3 full-time. I am actually UNDER ratio for the majority of the day, home with my own 2-year-old and 3 others all around age 2. My families picked me in part because of my own children; they knew their kids would have playmates their own age, they knew I would treat their kids as I treat my own. They made an educated choice, and they should continue to have the OPTION to do so. This Bill will not increase safety, it will take away parental choice.

The DNA has been law for over 40 years. Yes, it needs updating, but of the 6 deaths in the last few years that have hit the news, how many have been in daycares actually following the rules? Only ONE. The rest were in illegal warehousing daycares, with 20+ kids. The current ratios have been proven, in the vast majority of cases, to be safe.

The solution lies not in reducing our numbers and therefore our ability to make an income for our families, but in allowing us to be independently licensed and therefore overseen by the government.

While 7-8 kids may be too much for some, for some it is perfectly manageable, and parents must be held accountable for making a decision as to where to place their child. I have zero problems supervising my group and make sure each one gets plenty of one-on-one time. My clients should be allowed the choice to choose me, if they feel the same way. If they don't, and would rather a provider with no children or only their own older children, they should be free to make that choice too. The point is parental choice, and this Bill will take that away. Taking away my ability to make a living based solely on the number of children I have, and making it a blanket decision across the province, isn't fair nor logical, and it won't improve the safety of children across this province, which the Liberals say is what they are aiming to do.