New B.C. child care legislation aimed at accountability

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B.C. parents will soon be able to gets information about daycares and daycare providers and the minister responsible will report annually on what’s being done to improve child-care services, under two bills introduced Tuesday at the legislature.

The government says its proposed Early Learning and Child Care Act will increase transparency and accountability by requiring the province to produce annual reports on its progress and will include how the province is collaborating with Indigenous peoples to support Indigenous-led child care.

The minister of children and family development, Mitzi Dean, said, “The new legislation brings together the fragmented child care ‘patch work’ into an early learning and child care system, and introducing legislation is key to that vision.”

But the Liberal Opposition critic said the proposed legislation is far too vague and the government is creating its own patchwork of programs without an overall plan.

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“There is no action plan set out in Bill 15,” said Karin Kirkpatrick. “Most of the work will be done through regulations, so that means there will be no debate or scrutiny by the legislature.  There is no mention of a universal child care system in the bill.  It suggests a ‘we’ll get back to you’ attitude.”

“We have heard announcements about spaces and policies, but the government has not said how many of the spaces announced are new spaces. New programs have been announced with no mention of how that will lead to $10 dollar a day daycare, which was promised by the NDP in two elections.”

Kirkpatrick points out the $10 dollar a day programs undertaken so far are all pilot projects, funded primarily by the federal government, and none is a new child care space.

“They are halfway through their promise of $10 dollar a day child care with no roadmap of how that will happen,” she said.

However, the Liberal critic welcomed Bill 14, which should help ease the shortage of early childhood educators by expanding qualifications under the Early Childhood Educators Act.

“For example, currently, a teacher in Alberta with 10 years of primary school experience would not be able to work as an early childhood educator in B.C. because their credentials are not recognized.  It looks like this bill will change that,” said Kirkpatrick.

The bill will also expand and make public an Early Childhood Educators registry that will include information about child care providers and operators.

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“The new, public registry will increase oversight of the sector and give the registrar the ability to review complaints and will work on ways to make that information publicly accessible,” the junior minister for child care, Katrina Chen, said.

Chen believes it will give parents confidence.

“When you’re giving the most important person in your life, your babies, over to a stranger, to a professional, you will know their background, knowledge and training.” she said.

lcordasco@postmedia.com

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