Canadian families in rural communities face many challenges in finding quality early childhood education and care opportunities for their children. Like families throughout the country, rural families appreciate the positive social and educational experiences that their children can encounter in quality early childhood education settings. This, combined with the need for flexible child care due to atypical and seasonal working hours and the necessity for child care to address the safety issues of children on farms, makes the lack of rural spaces a pressing concern for many families in rural Canada. This description [1] of the experience of one parent highlights the safety concerns of family life on the farm, as well the benefits that quality rural child care can offer. Meanwhile, new research evidence has emerged indicating that quality child care can have profound economic benefits for both rural families and their communities.
The issue file features online reports, news articles and useful websites about rural child care issues in Canada. Items are listed from most recent to least recent with undated materials at the end of each section. Additional materials will be added as they become available.
On the teeter-totter: The challenges and opportunities for licensed child care in rural, northern, and remote Ontario [4]
Source: Ontario Municipal Social Services Association, May 2011
Needers to leaders: CARS for women and children in rural, remote, northern and Aboriginal communities [5]
[6]Source: Communities Achieving Responsive Services (CARS), Canadian Women's Health Network, 2009
Report in pdf (52 pp.)
[6]
Rural childcare in Manitoba: New economic evidence [7]
by Susan Prentice
Source: Association of Manitoba Municipalities, 2008
Article in pdf (3 pp.)
Rural child care: Childcare as economic and social development in Parkland [8]
by Susan Prentice
Source: Child Care Coalition of Manitoba, 2007
Report in pdf (32 pp.)
- More resources from the Child Care Coalition of Manitoba [9]
Rural child care needs: Commentary [10]
Source: Ontario Federation of Agriculture, 2007
Document in html
Meeting the needs of children and adolescents with special needs in rural and northern Canada. Summary report of a roundtable for Canadian policy makers [11]
by: Judith Varga-Toth
Source: Canadian Policy Research Networks & Centre of Excellence for Children and Adolescents with Special Needs, 2006
Report in pdf (42 pp.)
Rural child care - We're worth it [12]
Source: Rural Voices, 2005
- Discussion paper in MS Word [12] (13 pp.)
Help or hindrance: A policy review of early childhood education and care in rural Manitoba and Saskatchewan [13]
Source: Rural Voices, 2003
Policy paper in MS Word (23 pp.)
Rural child care report: Task Force on Rural Child Care & Early Childhood Education [16]
by Barbara Brownell
Source: Ontario Federation of Agriculture, 2000
Report in pdf (21 pp.)
Rural child care in Ontario [17]
by Gillian Doherty
Source: Childcare Resource and Research Unit, 1994
Report in pdf (54pp.)
Flexible child care in Canada: A report on child care for evenings, overnight and weekends, emergencies and ill children, and in rural areas [18]
by Martha Friendly, Gordon Cleveland, & Tricia Willis
Source: Childcare Resource and Research Unit, 1989 (reprinted 1994)
Report in pdf (57pp.)
Viable child care options: One parent speaks out
[1]by Joanne Egilson
Source: Child Care Focus, 1993.
Article in html
Rural daycares could have trouble meeting numbers [20]
CBC News, 1 Jun 10
Child care impacts region's growth (Link is no longer available)
by Lorne Stelmach
Source: Modern Times, 17 Oct 08
Involve women in farm policy [21]
by Angela Hall
Source: Regina Leader Post, 15 Aug 06
Will we create rural child care options? [22]
by Ginette Petitpas-Taylor
Source: New Brunswick Times & Transcript, 23 Feb 06
Rural child care advocates buoyed [23]
by Stevenson, Lorraine
Source: Farmers' Independent Weekly, 10 Mar 05
Rural kids to get a 'head start': Lambton, Kent part of new plan [24]
by Ligaya, Armina
Source: Chatham Daily News, 30 Mar 05
Child care can help rural economy [25]
by Laurie Adkin
Source: Edmonton Journal, 20 Nov 04
Canadian child care spaces in short supply [26]
by Diane Rogers
Source: Western Producer, 2 Dec 03
Rural day care [27]
by Diane Rogers
Source: The Western Producer, 4 Nov 03
Farm women, children fill labour gap [28]
by Diane Rogers
Source: Western Producer, 21 May 03
Rural child care options needed [29]
Editorial
Source: Western Producer, 24 Oct 02
Child care poses rural dilemma [30]
by Ian Bell
Source: Western Producer 22 Oct 03
Day care centre shares success [31]
by Diane Rogers
Source: Western Producer 21 Mar 02
Day care adjusts to parents' needs [32]
by Roberta Rampton
Source: Western Producer, September 28, 2000
Rural day cares spread out from Langruth hub [33]
by Ian Bell
Source: The Western Producer, May 4, 2000
Rural day care provides safe place for farm kids [34]
by Roberta Rampton
Source: The Western Producer 22 July 99
Day care meets the family farm [35]
Source: Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, 1989 (video clip, 8:05)
Child Care Coalition of Manitoba [9]
The Child Care Coalition of Manitoba is a public education and advocacy organization made up of over 55 group memberships. Their goal is a fully accessible, publicly-funded, non-profit system of comprehensive and high quality childcare, with worthy wages and good working conditions for childcare staff.
Rural Voices [36]
Rural Voices is a community capacity project which endeavors to increase the participation of rural residents in the development of social programs as well as increasing rural input into policy development
Links
[1] http://ruralvoices.cimnet.ca/cim/dbf/VIABLE%20CHILD%20CARE%20OPTIONS%20-One%20parent%20speaks%20out.htm?im_id=4248&si_id=86
[2] https://childcarecanada.org/category/tags/aboriginal
[3] https://childcarecanada.org/category/tags/rural
[4] https://childcarecanada.org/documents/research-policy-practice/11/06/teeter-totter-challenges-and-opportunities-licensed-child-c
[5] http://www.cwhn.ca/en/node/42192
[6] http://www.carsprocess.com/eng/pdfs/CARSWCFinalReport.pdf
[7] http://www.amm.mb.ca/PDF/Magazine/Spring2008/RuralChildcare.pdf
[8] http://childcaremanitoba.org/images/stories/docs/cccmpublications/parkland_report.pdf
[9] http://childcaremanitoba.org/
[10] http://ofa.on.ca/issues/additional-information/Rural-Child-Care-Needs-
[11] http://cprn.org/documents/41948_en.pdf
[12] http://ruralvoices.cimnet.ca/cim/dbf/Rural_Remote_Northern_1.doc?im_id=4968&si_id=86
[13] http://ruralvoices.cimnet.ca/cim/dbf/policy%20paper%203.doc?im_id=4249&si_id=86
[14] https://www.cccf-fcsge.ca/practice/programming/outsidethebox_en.htm
[15] https://cccf-fcsge.ca/pdf/2001spring_en.pdf
[16] http://www.ontarioagriculture.ca/uploads/File/Issues/Child%20Care/childcare.pdf
[17] https://childcarecanada.org/publications/occasional-paper-series/94/03/rural-child-care-ontario
[18] https://childcarecanada.org/publications/other-publications/94/04/flexible-child-care-canada-report-child-care-evenings-overnigh
[19] https://childcarecanada.org/category/tags/accessibility
[20] https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/prince-edward-island/rural-daycares-could-have-trouble-meeting-numbers-1.951579
[21] https://childcarecanada.org/documents/child-care-news/06/08/involve-women-farm-policy
[22] https://childcarecanada.org/documents/child-care-news/06/02/will-we-create-rural-child-care-options
[23] https://childcarecanada.org/documents/child-care-news/05/03/rural-child-care-advocates-buoyed
[24] https://childcarecanada.org/documents/child-care-news/05/04/rural-kids-get-head-start-lambton-kent-part-new-plan
[25] https://childcarecanada.org/documents/child-care-news/04/11/child-care-can-help-rural-economy
[26] https://childcarecanada.org/documents/child-care-news/03/12/canadian-child-care-spaces-short-supply
[27] https://childcarecanada.org/documents/child-care-news/03/11/rural-day-care
[28] https://childcarecanada.org/documents/child-care-news/05/08/farm-women-children-fill-labour-gap
[29] https://childcarecanada.org/documents/child-care-news/05/08/rural-child-care-options-needed
[30] https://childcarecanada.org/documents/child-care-news/05/08/child-care-poses-rural-dilemma
[31] https://childcarecanada.org/documents/child-care-news/05/08/day-care-centre-shares-success
[32] https://childcarecanada.org/documents/child-care-news/05/08/day-care-adjusts-parents-needs
[33] https://childcarecanada.org/documents/child-care-news/05/08/rural-day-cares-spread-out-langruth-hub
[34] https://childcarecanada.org/documents/child-care-news/05/08/rural-day-care-provides-safe-place-farm-kids
[35] https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/1770993221
[36] http://ruralvoices.cimnet.ca/cim/cs?sit=86&li=179