See text below.
EXCERPTS
To the editor:
Early childhood education and care is a need for most families in Nova Scotia. When the Advisory Council on the Status of Women was formed in 1977, child care was identified as a priority for women. It still is -- nearly 30 years later…
In 2006, most Nova Scotian parents with children younger than six are working parents. Nova Scotia employers and our economy rely upon all workers to be productive, and parents can be most productive if their children are in high-quality care that they can afford.
That system must be flexible for the variety of families who rely upon it. Some of those families do shift work, many live in rural communities, and some of the children have special developmental or physical needs, or language and cultural needs.
High-quality early childhood education and care gives children the best start in school and in life…It is appropriate for all families, including those where a parent chooses to be at home with the children before they begin school.
…Another important component is that the system pay child - care workers an equitable wage based on the value of their education and on the value of their contribution to society.
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The province has just launched its 10-year Child Care Strategy, despite the severe reduction in funding from Ottawa. Now, Nova Scotians must work toward a system that supports many types of families and all our children.
Sonja Power
Chairwoman of the Nova Scotia Advisory Council on the Status of Women
- Reprinted from the Daily.