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Parents, child care advocates and early childhood educators met in Burnaby Monday Oct. 3, 2005 to discuss what action must be taken to ensure federal funding for child care is directed at affordable, accessible and not-for-profit child care in British Columbia.
The town hall meeting, open to the public, was co-sponsored by the Coalition of Child Care Advocates of B.C. (CCCABC) and the B.C. Government and Service Employees' Union (BCGEU). Guest speakers included Lynne Wannan, a child care policy expert from Australia.
"The federal government has promised $633 million to our province for child care, but B.C. families need assurances from the B.C. Liberal government that this money will be used as it is intended &em; to build a foundation for a sustainable child care system," said George Heyman, BCGEU president.
Sharon Gregson, spokesperson for the CCCABC, said the federal funding should be enough to make a difference for many families, but B.C. needs a real plan of action. "Parents, advocates and early childhood educators must work together to ensure this money builds a system, and doesn't just fill a black hole," Gregson said.