Quality in Child Care

Assuring Quality in Child Care
Brief submitted to the Standing Committee on Human Resources Development
December 1994
PART III:
RECOMMENDATIONS

Throughout this paper, the Canadian Child Care Federation has presented the position that: investing in child care for all of Canada's children is fiscally and socially responsible; and assuring quality in child care is a shared responsibility and an immediate priority.

Therefore, over the next three years, the CCCF recommends that the federal government proceed on the development of a national child care strategy as follows:

Consolidate existing federal child care funding and direct it to the regulated child care sector. This funding (the child care expense tax deduction, child care allowances in federal training programs and Canada Assistance Plan expenditures) totalled over $700 million in 1993.

Invest new funding, including the $720 million presented in Creating Opportunity, to support the recommendations below.

Develop national guidelines for service delivery that describe acceptable levels of quality to meet the developmental needs of children. This would be done in collaboration with provincial/ territorial/ aboriginal governments and the child care community.

"Tie" federal funding to provincial/territorial governments' adherence to these guidelines in accordance to each government's implementation plan and ability to pay

Recognize that priority setting, planning and implementation must be undertaken at the community level, within a coordinated framework.

Develop national voluntary guidelines for monitoring and enforcement, in collaboration with its partners.

Fund the child care infrastructure to encourage the best practice for care providers through continuing education, information and resource sharing, certification, and evaluation initiatives such as accreditation.

Support the child care infrastructure to further develop national voluntary training guidelines for ECCE curriculum, including family/centre based and speciality practice.

Fund research and development in the field of early childhood care and educatution.

Fund public education initiatives that will assist parents and communities in assessing quality.

In collaboration with aboriginal communities, develop, fund and implement a national aboriginal child care strategy that is linked to the broader child care strategy

	Consolidate existing federal child care funding and direct it to the regulated child care sector. This funding (the child care expense tax deduction, child care allowances in federal training programs and Canada Assistance Plan expenditures) totalled over $700 million in 1993.
	Invest new funding, including the $720 million presented in Creating Opportunity, to support the recommendations below.
	Develop national guidelines for service delivery that describe acceptable levels of quality to meet the developmental needs of children. This would be done in collaboration with provincial/ territorial/ aboriginal governments and the child care community.
	"Tie" federal funding to provincial/territorial governments' adherence to these guidelines in accordance to each government's implementation plan and ability to pay
	Recognize that priority setting, planning and implementation must be undertaken at the community level, within a coordinated framework.
	Develop national voluntary guidelines for monitoring and enforcement, in collaboration with its partners.
	Fund the child care infrastructure to encourage the best practice for care providers through continuing education, information and resource sharing, certification, and evaluation initiatives such as accreditation.
	Support the child care infrastructure to further develop national voluntary training guidelines for ECCE curriculum, including family/centre based and speciality practice.
	Fund research and development in the field of early childhood care and educatution.
	Fund public education initiatives that will assist parents and communities in assessing quality.
	In collaboration with aboriginal communities, develop, fund and implement a national aboriginal child care strategy that is linked to the broader child care strategy