Quebec Daycare Essay
There exists a law in the province of Quebec, which prohibits a parent(s) from leaving any child under the age of twelve (12) unattended or unsupervised by an adult for any given period of time. (Immigration Quebec) This law, without the services offered by daycares and childcare centers, would be impossible to follow due to both work and study. However, in Quebec, not only are there ample daycare and childcare services offered to the families of children under the age of twelve (12), but many are affordable as they fall under the government subsidized universal daycare plan which is currently unique to Quebec, and allows for these services to be affordable to all families in all income brackets as it generally costs only $7.30 a day per child. (Services Quebec)
In Quebec, there are certain daycare and childcare facilities, which function under the Educational Childcare Act. Whilst acting under the Educational Childcare Act, these facilities are able to offer “reduced-contribution spaces” which cost the parents or guardians of children roughly $7.00 a day. (Services …show more content…
Quebec) Prior to the passing of the Educational Childcare Act, Universal early childhood education and care was introduced by Parti-Québecois cabinet minister Pauline Marois. (Anderssen, Mackrael) According to a research paper written by Catherine Haeck, Pierre Lefebvre and Philip Merrigan titled “Quebec’s universal childcare: the long term impacts on parental labour supply and child development.” this plan for universal and accessible and affordable services was established on September 30th 1997, and allowed for the families of children 4 years of age and older to pay only $5.00 a day (full day) per child to be cared by in a government subsidized daycare or childcare facility. As time went on the requirement for subsidized spaces decreased whilst subsidized spaces offering $5.00 a day spaces increased. By the year 2000, the Quebec Government had expanded the age demographic which was included under the act, from 4 years of age and over, to 0-5 years of age. (Haeck, Lefebvre, Merrigan 2) “Since September 1997, the number of regulated spaces [under the Universal Childcare Act has] increased from 78,864 to 245,107 by the end of March 2012.” (Haeck, Lefebvre, Merrigan 2) This increase in spaces not only shows an increasing need for subsidized spaces in daycares, but also shows that they are in fact a working idea, which allow for families to bring in several incomes and therefore allow for parents to spend more time with their children as well as potentially increase their standard of living, which I feel is a very positive impact on both the Quebec economy, as it allows for and increased GDP, as well as the lives of the children and parents who take advantage of this program, as it allows for reduced stresses and tensions at home which allows for increased moods which then are seen through the children as well as the parents. According to the same study done by Haeck, Lefebvre, and Merrigan, only 18% of all children in Quebec between the ages of 0 and 5 years old, attended regulated/ subsidized childcare in late 1997, compared to the 55% of children in this age group in 2012. Between 1997 and 201 when this paper was released, the demand for subsidized childcare arrangements by Quebec families increased dramatically, thus causing for an increase in budget allocated for the plan. During the 1996/97 fiscal year the Quebec government allocated $288 million to Universal Childcare, in the 2011/12 fiscal year, the number had increased to $2.2 billion. During this same time period, subsidy per space increased as well from $3,832 to $10,210. ((Haeck, Lefebvre, Merrigan 2) The Universal Childcare program is the only one of its type across Canada, as it is a very forward and heavily subsidized program in comparison to other Canadian provinces. In Quebec, the government covers roughly 80% of regulated childcare costs, compared to the average Canadian province that covers only roughly 38% of these same costs. (Julie Cool, Parliament Canada) This program is currently still unique to the province of Quebec, despite recent talks made by the New Democratic Party of Canada’s leader Tom Mulcair, who claims that if elected in the upcoming election, the NDP would create one million daycare spaces across Canada within eight years of election, where families would only have to pay $15 a day. (Toronto Star, Laurie Monsebraaten, Bruce Campion-Smith) In my opinion, the primary aspect of the Universal childcare program which makes it so unique and desirable to Quebecers, is that despite having raised from $5.00 a day to $7.00 a day, it encompasses all children from 0-12 years of ages, thus allowing for the law mentioned in the introduction to be properly and safely followed as parents can afford to send their children to a safe facility where they know that their child will be properly cared for without breaking the bank. The only worry that surfaces when thinking about this program, is what will happen of the NDP is elected and follows on their word, will Quebec have to conform to this new, more expensive program, which may be detrimental to families of our province, or will we be able to remain functioning as we are now, with high government subsidies and low daily rates for quality care or our children? As previously mentioned, after the introduction of Universal Childcare in Quebec, The Educational Childcare Act was passed and put into play. On December 16th 2005, Quebec’s National Assembly passed The Education Childcare Act, also known as Bill 124, in Quebec City. Carole Théberge of Québec’s National Assembly primarily sponsored the bill. (National Assembly of Quebec) According to the National Assembly and the outline of Bill 124, the goal of The Educational Childcare Act is to “enhance the quality of educational services provided by childcare providers covered by this Act so as to ensure the health and safety of the children to whom childcare services are provided.” Another objective of the Act as described by its outline, is to give parents the ability to fulfill their parental and professional abilities without having to compromise either, as well as give them the right and ability to choose who takes care of their child/children and where. Bill 124 also states that the act applies to “childcare centers, daycare centers, and recognized home childcare providers and to home childcare coordinating offices accredited by the Ministère de La Famille. Although the Act applies to wide variety of childcare facilities, there are certain exceptions to the Act. These exceptions to the law include:
“(1) Persons who provide or offer to provide occasional organized childcare services, in a health or social services institution, in a commercial establishment, a fair or exhibition or during a special event, to children whose parents are on site and can be reached if needed; (2) Day camp or vacation camp operators; or (3) School boards or private educational institutions that provide childcare at school within the meaning of the Education Act (chapter I-13.3) or the Act respecting private education (chapter E-9.1); (4) Public bodies and community organizations that provide temporary childcare as part of their mandate to support and assist families or as a part of a specific activity involving parents or children.” (Bill 124)
Services Québec also claims that home childcare is exempt from the Act if the provider is caring for up to six children. These home childcare providers cannot provide/offer reduced-contribution places (at $7.30 a day) to families. Most childcare facilities/ services, which are not included in the above list of exemptions, are fully equipped to offer reduced-contribution places to families at the current government implicated rate of $7.30 a day per child. Bill 124 also claims “every child has the right to quality personalized educational childcare services until the end of elementary school” this means that all children living in the province of Quebec from the ages of 0 to 12 years of ages, have the right to receive care from facilities such as daycares, whether they are public or private, as well as whether or no they have government subsidization. Once again Bill 124 claims the following:
“In order to ensure the provision of educational childcare services, the educational program applied by a child care provider must include activities aimed at:
(1) Fostering children's overall development, particularly their emotional, social, moral, cognitive, language, physical and motor development; and (2) Helping children gradually adapt to life in society and integrate a group harmoniously.”
In this same section of Bill 124, it is claimed that within the educational program, “preventative elements aimed at providing an environment conductive to the development of a healthy lifestyle, healthy eating habits and behavior that have a positive effect on the children’s health and well being” must also be included.
There are many other more in depth points of the Educational Childcare Act (Bill 124), however, I feel that this allows for a rather educated look into Quebec’s childcare system, and I believe that these points allow for us as citizens of Quebec, to understand the complexity and uniqueness of the childcare services which are provided to us, as it allows for our economy to build as more people are able to enter into the workforce, as there is less of a need to sacrifice either parental or work responsibilities, whilst still remaining affordable for all families in all income
brackets.
To conclude, Quebec is the home of a very unique system, which allows for families of all income brackets to abide by the law, take care of both work and parental responsibilities, all without breaking the bank, as many other families in other provinces do. Despite the fact that there are currently talks being made by the NDP to introduce a nation-wide daycare plan, as previously mentioned, I believe that with a system that is secure on paper, Quebec will be able to keep going with its universal childcare program, as it has been functioning for over 15 years without much back talk on behalf of Quebec families.
In Quebec, there are certain daycare and childcare facilities, which function under the Educational Childcare Act. Whilst acting under the Educational Childcare Act, these facilities are able to offer “reduced-contribution spaces” which cost the parents or guardians of children roughly $7.00 a day. (Services …show more content…
Quebec) Prior to the passing of the Educational Childcare Act, Universal early childhood education and care was introduced by Parti-Québecois cabinet minister Pauline Marois. (Anderssen, Mackrael) According to a research paper written by Catherine Haeck, Pierre Lefebvre and Philip Merrigan titled “Quebec’s universal childcare: the long term impacts on parental labour supply and child development.” this plan for universal and accessible and affordable services was established on September 30th 1997, and allowed for the families of children 4 years of age and older to pay only $5.00 a day (full day) per child to be cared by in a government subsidized daycare or childcare facility. As time went on the requirement for subsidized spaces decreased whilst subsidized spaces offering $5.00 a day spaces increased. By the year 2000, the Quebec Government had expanded the age demographic which was included under the act, from 4 years of age and over, to 0-5 years of age. (Haeck, Lefebvre, Merrigan 2) “Since September 1997, the number of regulated spaces [under the Universal Childcare Act has] increased from 78,864 to 245,107 by the end of March 2012.” (Haeck, Lefebvre, Merrigan 2) This increase in spaces not only shows an increasing need for subsidized spaces in daycares, but also shows that they are in fact a working idea, which allow for families to bring in several incomes and therefore allow for parents to spend more time with their children as well as potentially increase their standard of living, which I feel is a very positive impact on both the Quebec economy, as it allows for and increased GDP, as well as the lives of the children and parents who take advantage of this program, as it allows for reduced stresses and tensions at home which allows for increased moods which then are seen through the children as well as the parents. According to the same study done by Haeck, Lefebvre, and Merrigan, only 18% of all children in Quebec between the ages of 0 and 5 years old, attended regulated/ subsidized childcare in late 1997, compared to the 55% of children in this age group in 2012. Between 1997 and 201 when this paper was released, the demand for subsidized childcare arrangements by Quebec families increased dramatically, thus causing for an increase in budget allocated for the plan. During the 1996/97 fiscal year the Quebec government allocated $288 million to Universal Childcare, in the 2011/12 fiscal year, the number had increased to $2.2 billion. During this same time period, subsidy per space increased as well from $3,832 to $10,210. ((Haeck, Lefebvre, Merrigan 2) The Universal Childcare program is the only one of its type across Canada, as it is a very forward and heavily subsidized program in comparison to other Canadian provinces. In Quebec, the government covers roughly 80% of regulated childcare costs, compared to the average Canadian province that covers only roughly 38% of these same costs. (Julie Cool, Parliament Canada) This program is currently still unique to the province of Quebec, despite recent talks made by the New Democratic Party of Canada’s leader Tom Mulcair, who claims that if elected in the upcoming election, the NDP would create one million daycare spaces across Canada within eight years of election, where families would only have to pay $15 a day. (Toronto Star, Laurie Monsebraaten, Bruce Campion-Smith) In my opinion, the primary aspect of the Universal childcare program which makes it so unique and desirable to Quebecers, is that despite having raised from $5.00 a day to $7.00 a day, it encompasses all children from 0-12 years of ages, thus allowing for the law mentioned in the introduction to be properly and safely followed as parents can afford to send their children to a safe facility where they know that their child will be properly cared for without breaking the bank. The only worry that surfaces when thinking about this program, is what will happen of the NDP is elected and follows on their word, will Quebec have to conform to this new, more expensive program, which may be detrimental to families of our province, or will we be able to remain functioning as we are now, with high government subsidies and low daily rates for quality care or our children? As previously mentioned, after the introduction of Universal Childcare in Quebec, The Educational Childcare Act was passed and put into play. On December 16th 2005, Quebec’s National Assembly passed The Education Childcare Act, also known as Bill 124, in Quebec City. Carole Théberge of Québec’s National Assembly primarily sponsored the bill. (National Assembly of Quebec) According to the National Assembly and the outline of Bill 124, the goal of The Educational Childcare Act is to “enhance the quality of educational services provided by childcare providers covered by this Act so as to ensure the health and safety of the children to whom childcare services are provided.” Another objective of the Act as described by its outline, is to give parents the ability to fulfill their parental and professional abilities without having to compromise either, as well as give them the right and ability to choose who takes care of their child/children and where. Bill 124 also states that the act applies to “childcare centers, daycare centers, and recognized home childcare providers and to home childcare coordinating offices accredited by the Ministère de La Famille. Although the Act applies to wide variety of childcare facilities, there are certain exceptions to the Act. These exceptions to the law include:
“(1) Persons who provide or offer to provide occasional organized childcare services, in a health or social services institution, in a commercial establishment, a fair or exhibition or during a special event, to children whose parents are on site and can be reached if needed; (2) Day camp or vacation camp operators; or (3) School boards or private educational institutions that provide childcare at school within the meaning of the Education Act (chapter I-13.3) or the Act respecting private education (chapter E-9.1); (4) Public bodies and community organizations that provide temporary childcare as part of their mandate to support and assist families or as a part of a specific activity involving parents or children.” (Bill 124)
Services Québec also claims that home childcare is exempt from the Act if the provider is caring for up to six children. These home childcare providers cannot provide/offer reduced-contribution places (at $7.30 a day) to families. Most childcare facilities/ services, which are not included in the above list of exemptions, are fully equipped to offer reduced-contribution places to families at the current government implicated rate of $7.30 a day per child. Bill 124 also claims “every child has the right to quality personalized educational childcare services until the end of elementary school” this means that all children living in the province of Quebec from the ages of 0 to 12 years of ages, have the right to receive care from facilities such as daycares, whether they are public or private, as well as whether or no they have government subsidization. Once again Bill 124 claims the following:
“In order to ensure the provision of educational childcare services, the educational program applied by a child care provider must include activities aimed at:
(1) Fostering children's overall development, particularly their emotional, social, moral, cognitive, language, physical and motor development; and (2) Helping children gradually adapt to life in society and integrate a group harmoniously.”
In this same section of Bill 124, it is claimed that within the educational program, “preventative elements aimed at providing an environment conductive to the development of a healthy lifestyle, healthy eating habits and behavior that have a positive effect on the children’s health and well being” must also be included.
There are many other more in depth points of the Educational Childcare Act (Bill 124), however, I feel that this allows for a rather educated look into Quebec’s childcare system, and I believe that these points allow for us as citizens of Quebec, to understand the complexity and uniqueness of the childcare services which are provided to us, as it allows for our economy to build as more people are able to enter into the workforce, as there is less of a need to sacrifice either parental or work responsibilities, whilst still remaining affordable for all families in all income
brackets.
To conclude, Quebec is the home of a very unique system, which allows for families of all income brackets to abide by the law, take care of both work and parental responsibilities, all without breaking the bank, as many other families in other provinces do. Despite the fact that there are currently talks being made by the NDP to introduce a nation-wide daycare plan, as previously mentioned, I believe that with a system that is secure on paper, Quebec will be able to keep going with its universal childcare program, as it has been functioning for over 15 years without much back talk on behalf of Quebec families.