On Child Care Worker and Early Childhood Educator Appreciation Day and on behalf of all its members, CUPE Ontario extends gratitude and solidarity to early childhood educators, child care workers and assistants, early years staff and to all the workers who makes high-quality child possible in every community across the province. There is no early learning and child care system without you.
It should humble everyone, and most particularly the Ford Conservatives and child care providers, that in the midst of the ongoing child care crisis in Ontario, early learning educators maintain their dedication to their jobs and their devotion to the children in their care. They show up for the families and children who rely on them and they continue to care, even when the care is not returned to them by government and employers.
On this Child Care Worker and Early Childhood Educator Appreciation Day, we see such disregard in Toronto, where members of CUPE 2484, child care workers at Ideal Child Service Group, have been locked out since October 5. Children have lost their care, families have been left scrambling and workers have spent weeks on the picket line, because an employer refused to bargain the fair collective agreement that high-quality child care demands.
Workers at Start Right Child Centre, also represented by CUPE 2484, are also facing a deadline for job action next week. In both instances, workers are fighting for fair wages, a pension, and WSIB coverage. This last demand should not surprise anyone, because child care is physically demanding work, and injuries to workers are a daily reality. Child care providers and government should already recognize these dangers and extend coverage to child care workers for on-the-job injuries. Instead, workers have fight for this protection.
Recognition of workers’ value is the fight of the entire sector. CUPE Ontario is honoured to acknowledge the debt of gratitude we owe these workers, on this appreciation day and every day.
We have a long way to go before appreciation is transformed into action. The Ford Conservatives have dragged their feet on $10-a-day child care and have failed to make meaningful improvements to the workforce strategy that an expanded system requires.
On Child Care Worker and Early Childhood Educator Appreciation Day, you can show your support for these workers by visiting CUPE 2484’s page and taking action to end the lockout; by learning more about the Care Counts campaign; and by making plans to attend the October 29 rally for Early Learning and Child Care.
