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“Support young families, increase access to public, non-profit child care,” they urge
OTTAWA, ON – Increasing access to quality, affordable, public and non-profit child care is one of the best ways for governments to support a new generation of young families and the economy, say Ottawa parents and child care staff demanding solutions and action on a universal child care program.
Today they endeavoured to foster much-needed cooperation on child care policy between the federal and provincial governments, inviting MPs and MPPs to a “come together” event at the Centretown Cooperative Daycare, located at 94 James St., a parent, staff cooperative centre.
“We need our elected representatives to be open and engage constructively – not divisively – on child care,” said Ottawa child care worker and activist Athina Basiliadis. She was joined at the Centretown event by more than 200 social service workers and child care staff from across Ontario, many of whom are also working parents needing access to child care. Walking from the Delta City Centre hotel on Lyon St. North, they brought with them armloads of teddy bears as a symbol of the tens of thousands of children on child care waiting lists across Ontario. The teddy bears will be donated to Ottawa area child care centres.
“In Ontario, we know parents and early learning and care educators are fed up with the current stalemate on child care between the two levels of government,” said Basiliadis. “Families need accessible child care. We want both the federal and provincial governments working together on solutions and toward a real universal system of early learning and care.”
Successive research studies show that increased investment in childcare is good for the economy and helps communities and children thrive. Early childhood education centres like Centretown provide quality, enriched learning environments for children to grow, learn and play.
“We want political leaders to put aside simplistic party dogma and experience quality child care for themselves. Then we want them to do what’s best for families, children and the economy and that’s working together to create a universal child care program,” said Carrie Lynn Poole-Cotnam, chair of CUPE’s social service sector in Ontario.
Those invited to “come together” included MPs Paul Dewar, John Baird, David McGuinty, Pierre Poilievre, Mauril Belanger and MPPs Yasir Navqi, Bob Chiarelli, Madeleine Meilleur, Phil McNeely, Lisa MacLeod.
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For more information, contact:
Stella Yeadon, CUPE Communications, 416-559-9300
