It was just days after the Conservatives took office when the Harper government affirmed its position on early learning and childhood education. In a press release issued by the Conservative party, they claimed their plan would “let parents choose the child care option that best suits their family’s needs.”
It was a clever way to create misconceptions about early learning and childhood education that would win them political points. By suggesting that the cancellation of the national program gave working families a real choice with their children, they could imply that any government initiative for early learning was imposing one standard, big government approach to early learning and childhood education that did not reflect the needs or values of working families in communities across this country.
Now, with young two income families still bearing the brunt of the effects of the recession, it might be high time to debunk the myths and take a good hard look at how successful their approach has been after four years in government.
Myth Number One: This is not about your child – it is big government stepping in where it has no place.
Let’s be clear, what matters most are the best interests of our children. That’s something on which we can all agree. By starting your child’s education at an earlier stage it gives them a head start – one they’re going to need to reach their full potential and compete with kids around the world for the jobs of tomorrow.
In study after study, the evidence is conclusive: early learning and childcare programs only benefit our children’s learning and development experience and will only help them excel later in life. Our children are the future of our country; they deserve the best possible start.
Myth Number Two: Working families lose the option to raise their kids the way they choose.
A Liberal plan for early childhood education has always been about choice, but the difference lies in it being real choice, grounded in a fundamental respect for families. In order for any early education program to be successful, it will always have to be coordinated at the local level, more specifically by the communities who are actually faced with delivering these programs. Early learning and childhood development must be implemented by those who know best – those who live and work in the neighbourhoods across this country. It is the community that implements the national standards; it will always be the cornerstone of any successful early learning strategy.
Myth Number Three: A plan like this means more government spending at a time when we can least afford it.
What the Conservatives don’t want to tell you is that they never really did the math. Well, we did.
For every $1 million invested in early childhood education, we create 39.54 jobs; this is almost 10 times the number of jobs generated by $1 million invested in construction spending.
It’s an investment that will actually pay for itself and more. The most reliable Canadian study reveals that for every $1 invested, it will return more than $2 to the economy through increased workforce participation of mothers and reduced expenditures on informal care.
Myth Number Four: Four years later, their plan is a success.
The Harper government has been claiming their plan, in concert with the provinces and territories, has been responsible for increases in childcare spaces ever since they took power. However, the numbers say something different when you factor in the crucial issue: increased demand. In 2007, there were 837,923 regulated child care spaces in Canada, representing an increase of 26,661 spaces since 2006. In comparison, between 2004 and 2006, supply grew by an average of 32,668 a year and between 2001 and 2004 by an average of 50,831 a year. When contrasted with the real demand for childcare spaces, we’re falling far behind.
Just how far was illustrated by a 2008 UNICEF international study, Canada’s provision of early childhood education and care ranked at the very bottom of 25 developed countries.
The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development also affirms that federal investment in early childhood development and the percentage of children in regulated spaces is one of the lowest of the thirty member nations.
We can do better. We owe it to our kids to give them a fighting chance to compete for the best opportunities in a global economy.
A national program for early learning and childhood education has never been about big government deciding what is best for you. It’s about choice, it’s about communities, it’s about letting our kids become the best they can possibly be.
Author:MP Mike Savage is the Official Opposition Critic for Human Resources and Skills and is the Chair of the Liberal Caucus Committee on Post-Secondary Education and Research.
