Quality in Child Care

Educational Institutions

"This province has gone from a 42-hour training course to a 120-hour course. That took 10 years. That is ridiculous." - Karen Troughton, Saskatchewan

They can assure quality by:

providing training based on current research and knowledge in the field of early childhood care and education.

Why is training so important?

"The hard fact is: quality child care services that are positive rather than harmful to children are, in the final analysis, dependent on the quality of the individuals delivering the services." - Sandra Griffin, British Columbia
The most critical component in quality child care is the interaction between the child and the care provider. Research confirms the direct links between the training of child care providers, the quality of child care and the positive outcomes of child development. Research also shows that "the younger the children, the more critical their need for knowledgeable and qualified teachers."

" Sixty-eight percent of child care centre staff across Canada have a post-secondary credential from a one-year certificate in early childhood education to a bachelor's degree." - "Caring for a Living" national study

It is sometimes asked why child care providers need training and parents do not. The relationship of the care provider to the child is significantly different than that of a parent. The care provider does not have the same emotional bond and intimate relationship with the child that parents do. Training, based on knowledge of child development, enables the care provider to make informed judgements and to ensure that the activities provided will be appropriate and will stimulate the child's development. The interactions in a non-related group of children are different than those in a sibling group and are more likely to require the adult's intervention.
What do we have now?
Currently, training in early childhood education in Canada reflects the fragmentation found in child care in general:

inconsistent training quality,

limited accessibility to courses,

limited articulation and credit transfer,

restricted career mobility and options,

no coordinated means by which to share innovations in training models,

Infrastructure of Child Care Organizations

"The low wages in child care places many child care workers near or below the poverty line." - "Caring for a Living" national study
They can assure quality by:

ensuring that child care providers have the tools, resources and information based on current knowledge to enable them to provide quality care in their daily practice

Why are they important?
Care providers are the "fulcrum" upon which quality rests. Child care organizations have a vital role in supporting the child care provider in the day-to-day checks and balances necessary to assure quality in their program. Knowledge and experience inform good practice.

"It requires no less (in fact, perhaps more) knowledge and skill to work with the young than to run a business, work as a politician or be a professional in any number of fields." - Sina Romsa, Manitoba
The issues that child care providers address on a daily basis are increasingly complex, from caring for children from various socio-economic or cultural backgrounds to integrating children with special needs. Every day, care providers must ensure developmentally-appropriate activities and warm, nurturing, sensitive care. As in other fields, the knowledge base for child care is not static. Professional development is part of life-long learning. It ensures that child care providers are aware of new knowledge and constantly renewing the standards of best practice.

"Legislation in a variety of areas is critical, but I believe quality issues go beyond...for example , personal commitment/motivation, public education and awareness." - Gyda Chud, British Columbia

Child care organizations have an essential role in addressing these needs. They can:

conduct research and development in the "best" practice of child care;

share information with the child care community through publications and pamphlets
provide a link between the various child care partners;

encourage continuing education through workshops, conferences and publications;

enhance the practice of child care beyond the regulations through such voluntary evaluation mechanisms as accreditation and peer evaluation;

encourage the professional development of the care provider through certification and codes of ethics.

"Little Roxanna Nazar stood alone at the far end of the playground, hiding her blond head in her arm, oblivious to the tangle of sound and day-glow colour around her. It was playtime at the Mount Pleasant Child Care Centre and 33 children were swarming over the slides and the monkey bars. Suddenly Marlene MacGregor saw Roxanna in her self-imposed exile and quickly swept her up into her arms. Roxanna she explained, speaks only Polish and is still shy after two months in day care. Her parents, like many in the low-income, high-turnover neighbourhood, are in language classes. Three-quarters of the children are from immigrant families and two thirds have English as a second language..." - Vancouver Sun (March 4, 1993)

What do we have now?
The role of national, provincial/territorial and regional child care organizations is critical to assuring quality child care. The Canadian Child Care Federation (CCCF), for example, consulted with the field and developed standards for quality care for both home- and centre-based settings. These standards have been endorsed by the governments of Prince Edward Island and Saskatchewan, as well as by 34 national, provincial and territorial child care organizations. The CCCF has begun work on training guidelines for early childhood care and education and on national guidelines for service delivery. The CCCF is also developing an affiliate structure with provincial/territorial organizations in order to strengthen the professional infrastructure.
Child care organizations provide most of the professional development opportunites in Canada, through conferences, workshops and publications. Some provincial, territorial and aboriginal organizations are developing evaluation tools. Others are developing a code of ethics. Much of this work has been possible only through the federal Child Care Initiatives Fund. Unfortunately, this fund comes to a close in March 1995.

A national study conducted in 1992 found that most child care organizations in Canada are fragile and vulnerable because they "work in a context of isolation, fragmentation and underfunding." ¹⁴ The extremely low wages earned by most child care providers make it impossible for their fees to sustain the organizational infrastructure.

Child care workers are among the lowest-paid, least-valued, lowest-status workers in the social structure. They exercise little control over licensing, access to, or regulation of the profession and enforce few meaningful standards. They exercise no important regulatory authority over the environments of children... More like missionaries than professionals, they command low pay for their work and, in recent decades, scant social recognition or respect ¹⁵

Parents and the community

"Voluntary accreditation set a standard to which many would aspire. Recognition through this kind of accreditation would 'lift' the level of care." - Gyda Chud, British Columbia

"It takes the whole village to raise a child." - a traditional African saying

"The role of parents is to be knowledgeable about the components of quality care and to feel empowered to speak to and for these." - Gyda Chud, British Columbia

"No matter how well designed and objective a system of enforcement may be, all inspectors should and will use discretion. Discretion, however, can be a dangerous thing when put in the hands of a poorly trained or inexperienced inspector." - Christine Mclean, Newfoundland

"Referral agencies should be developed to help parents make informed choices regarding their child care." - Christine McLean, Newfoundland

"If we cannot support quality assurance, then quite simply we should be ensuring that children do not have to be put into care arrangements. It is not a matter of what we can 'afford.'" - Sandra Griffin, British Columbia

"Why can't we assure quality for kids if we can assure quality for inanimate objects such as Big Macs and Midas Mufflers?" - Gail Keith-Mitton, Early Childhood Education Petite Enfance, N.B.

"Children have become the pawns in the debate over family lifestyles and responsibilities." - Karen Chandler, Ontario

"Although it is generally accepted that child care services should be of "good quality" scant recognition has actually been given to how the provision of child care will be manifested in either the current child care system or in an expanded, affordable one." - Sandra Griffin, British Columbia

They can assure quality by:

ensuring that the needs of their children for quality child care are being met.

Why is it important?

Quality child care requires a collaborative effort between families and care providers. According to the CCCF's National Statement on Quality Child Care, quality child care practice:

recognizes the role of the parent as the primary care provider, and the role of the trained care provider as supportive and enhancing to child and family;

utilizes parent boards, advisory committees, cooperatives, etc., to maintain a philosophy consistent with the needs of the families served;

ensures parents/boards have access to ongoing board development and training to ensure effective management of the program; and

shares resources among parents and care providers within a supportive and complementary environment.

Research indicates that children gain when there is parent involvement in the child care program ¹⁶. For example, by working together, parents and care providers can help children make the transition from home to the child care setting; adults can gain support in their challenging task of parenting; knowledge and skills can be exchanged. ¹⁷

What do we have now?

Most provincial/territorial governments provide limited public education to inform parents about child care regulations. While provincial regulations do not generally specify requirements for parental involvement, almost 70 percent of centre-based care in Canada is operated by a board of directors, and parents serving on these boards influence centre policies.

The challenges involved in balancing work and family responsibilities and the increased number of lone-parent families, have quite simply left parents too exhausted. A recent United Nations Children's Fund report states that: "In Anglo-American societies, the stress and strain on family life triggered by shrinking wages, the employment of both parents and marital breakdown, have not been counterbalanced by new and more generous benefits and services. On the contrary, support for families has lost ground to other priorities recently. In the 1980s, the proportion of public money spent on families and children was reduced, and even more responsibility was returned to the family despite the manifest erosion in the family's ability to shoulder these responsibilities" ¹⁸ Assuring quality in child care programs cannot be left to parents alone.

Federal government

It can assure quality by:

Ensuring that the quality of child care is at an acceptable and consistent level across Canada through leadership, coordination and funding.

Recommendations on how this should be accomplished follow.

A National Framework for Assuring Quality in Child Care

"It is quite evident that the quality of child care that children need cannot be assured by minimum, concrete regulatable standards alone". -Sandra Griffin

In Part II of this paper we described the urgent need for a national strategy to assure quality in child care programs. In Canada, we have a patchwork of regulations that do not necessarily address child development needs. Training programs vary significantly and there is a serious lack of training available for family child care and specialized programs. Opportunities for research, continuing education, professional development and information exchange are severely restricted by the underdevelopment and lack of support for child care organizations. Parents and communities lack the resources to meet the needs of their children.

We have described the roles and responsibilities of the various partners in assuring quality. For this quality to be assured at an acceptable and consistent level for all of Canada's children, the federal government must acknowledge, coordinate and support the roles of the partners.

The Canadian Child Care Federation calls upon the federal government to take leadership and work with the child care partners to develop a national strategy for quality assurance.

Roles of the Partners In Assuring Quality

Federal Government ensures that the quality of child care is at an acceptable level across Canada through leadership, cordination and funding.

Infrastructure of Child Care Organizations ensures that child care providers have the tools, resources and information based on current knowledge to enable them to provide quality care in their daily practice.

Educational Institutions provide training based on current research and knowledge in the field of early childhood care and education.

Parents and Communities ensure that the needs of their children for quality care are being met.

Provincial/ Territorial Governments legislate regulations that protect health and safety and promote child development; and effectively monitor and enforce these regulations.

Federal Government	ensures that the quality of child care is at an acceptable level across Canada through leadership, cordination and funding.
Infrastructure of Child Care Organizations	ensures that child care providers have the tools, resources and information based on current knowledge to enable them to provide quality care in their daily practice.
Educational Institutions	provide training based on current research and knowledge in the field of early childhood care and education.
Parents and Communities	ensure that the needs of their children for quality care are being met.
Provincial/ Territorial Governments	legislate regulations that protect health and safety and promote child development; and effectively monitor and enforce these regulations.