My Stand on Early Learning and Care for the City of Edmonton.
EndPovertyEdmonton identified early learning and care as one of the six “game changers that must be addressed if poverty is to be eliminated from Edmonton in a generation. There is a need to work towards an integrated system of high quality and affordable early learning and care.
City Council has endorsed the EndPovertyEdmonton strategy, but Edmonton lacks an overarching early learning and care policy and strategy of the sort that provides strong guidance and cooperation between all stakeholders.
Early Learning & Care is not under the mandate of municipal governments in Alberta, however, it remains an important aspect of city life and there is much the city can do to aid in this regard. This includes: creating policy, updating zoning bylaws, advocating other orders of government, local school boards, non-profits as well as working with the Edmonton Council for Early Learning and Care (ECELC). The city is an important part of the puzzle piece as it controls land use and planning.
Unfortunately, these different levels of government and community typically do not work together in a coordinated way. The result is the delivery of local child care programs and services that is highly fragmented, with some children and families left behind. For many in Edmonton, early learning and care can be difficult to access, largely unaffordable, and uneven in quality.
The present situation for early learning and care in Edmonton is a patchwork of programs and services that is insufficient. What is needed is a coordinated system to meet the current and future needs of Edmonton’s growing population and diverse communities.
Being an immigrant and a mother of a child that needed those early learning resources, I understand firsthand all the challenges families face. Helping to make the process easier and more accessible to more families in need definitely is something I will advocate for.
Talking to a board member of the ECELC I gained great insight as to the issues they are facing and how City Council can be an essential ally in helping give all Edmontonian families an opportunity to gain access to these services. There are many reasons families find themselves needing early learning and care. Every parent should be able to go to work or school knowing their child is having the best care possible.
A couple of concrete ways the City can help in this endeavor are:
Zoning in commercial areas should also include spaces for early learning and care. Canada Place is a good example of that.
More spaces need to be made available by partnerships, tax credits, and thoughtful zoning.
Data collection. Information is imperative when we need to identify where these services are needed and by whom.
I envision a forward-thinking city that is a trailblazer. There is so much the city can offer, standing on the sidelines when work needs to be done, does not serve our citizens in the short or long term.
The current approach is very similar to what has been in place for decades. We need to move with the times and ensure that children and families do not continue to fall through the cracks.