2000.01PU CHILD CARE
Whereas:
a policy update on Child Care adopted by the National Council of Women of Canada in 1992 urged the government of Canada to establish a national comprehensive child care policy designed to facilitate the development of child care service resources which would: be of high quality; be available and financially accessible to all Canadian children who need them; offer a range of services to allow for parental choice and the needs of individual families; be sensitive to the particular cultural requirements of aboriginal and immigrant families; and meet the needs of children in their own homes as well as children in child care facilities; and
Whereas:
there has been substantial research and evidence that learning begins in infancy with stimulation provided by parents and other caregivers and continues through life and that the quality of early childhood experiences has long-term effects on an individual’s adult life; and
Whereas:
knowledge has increased about the need to focus resources strategically to enhance early childhood development, in particular from the prenatal period to school entry; and
Whereas:
the National Children’s Agenda proposes a common shared vision that values children and that provides opportunities for every child to achieve his or her full potential; therefore be it
RESOLVED:
that the National Council of Women of Canada urge the Government of Canada to work with the Provincial and Territorial Governments to give highest priority in its National Children’s Agenda planning to ensure:
a. a learning environment for children from earliest infancy to school entry; and
b. funding to meet this objective through a range of child care services including:
i. parent resource centres; and
ii. early childhood education opportunities in not-for-profit settings; and
iii. group and family day care accessible to all families requiring out-of-home care, with enough subsidized spaces to meet the need.