Child Care
Concordia families and child care providers have talked with me about their concerns for child care in the area. Parents frequently have trouble finding licensed child care in the area. One family had to send their toddler to relatives in another country because they could not find adequate care in the community.
While the NDP government has put efforts into child care, the marketing materials don’t tell the whole story. One child care director told me when another centre opened in the community, it simply meant that she lost staff to that centre. She could get the space to expand and offer more child care spaces, but can’t find workers to fill the positions.
How bad is the problem? We don’t know, and that itself is a problem. In a recent FIPPA request the Manitoba Liberal Caucus learned that the NDP currently do not collect statistics or information on the number children waiting for licensed child care nor what areas of the province have the greatest need. Without good information about the issue, Manitoba cannot plan properly and as a result, the province continues to spend taxpayer’s money with inadequate results.
Research consistently finds that high quality child care positively impacts children’s development. This is especially true for children from disadvantaged families.
One particular study, the HighScope Perry Preschool Study has followed children who were enrolled in a preschool program and a group who did not receive the program. They have been followed into adulthood. The adults who had the preschool program:
- Were more likely to graduate from high school
- Were more likely to be employed
- Commited fewer crimes
The preschool program ended up saving money for government. The education system saved money because the children needed less help in school. The justice system saved money as those children were less likely to get involved in crime as they grew older.
Our quest to make a safer society with higher functioning individuals begins in the earliest years. We need to prioritize early childhood education.
