Agenda Index City of Vancouver

ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT

TO:

Standing Committee on City Services and Budgets

FROM:

Director of Community Services, Social Planning Department

SUBJECT:

1999 Childcare Grants Allocation - Report 3 of 3

 

RECOMMENDATION

GENERAL MANAGER’S COMMENTS

COUNCIL POLICY

On February 25, 1999, Council approved the 1999 allocation of $672,600 for the Childcare Grants Program. Approval of grant recommendations requires eight affirmative votes.

PURPOSE

This report makes recommendations for the final allocations for the 1999 Childcare grants program.

BACKGROUND

The February 25, 1999 Childcare Grants Ceiling Report identified the priorities and granting process for the two grant categories described in this report.

DISCUSSION

1. Program Development

2. Research, Policy Development and Innovations

3. City response to the MSDES options paper

CONCLUSION

The Director of Community Services, Social Planning recommends approval of:

- 1 Program Development grant of $5,000 to Britannia Community Services Centre
- 1 Research, Policy Development and Innovations grant of $20,675 to Westcoast Child Care Resource Centre.

These are the final allocations under the 1999 Childcare Grants budget. No funds are remaining. (See Appendix III).

- - - - -

British
Columbia

NEWS RELEASE

Ministry of Social Development and Economic Security
Oct. 21, 1999
1999: 58

BUILDING A BETTER FUTURE FOR BRITISH COLUMBIA’S KIDS

VANCOUVER - A discussion paper being released today called Building a Better Future for British Columbia’s Kids outlines the challenges facing child care in British Columbia said Social Development and Economic Security Minister Moe Sihota and Women’s Equality Minister Jenny Kwan.

The 24-page document sets out a range of possible child-care programs and the costs and benefits of each one. Parents, child-care providers, social agencies, ethnic associations, business, labour and other levels of government are invited to engage in public discussions and provide advice to the government on the options that they prefer.

“Child care and family-friendly workplace policies are vital for families today,” said Kwan. “For children, quality care forms a foundation for success in school and later in life, and it also helps parents support and provide for their children. But many families are having difficulty finding and affording the quality child care they need.”

“Reductions in the Canada Health and Social Transfer over the last five years together with other federal funding policies have resulted in $800 million in reduced federal transfers to B.C.,” said Sihota. “We want the federal government to use its current budget surplus to restore Canada Health and Social Transfer funding and to honour its Red Book commitment to a national child care program.”

Sheila Davidson, chair of the Provincial Child Care Council, said the discussion paper clearly outlines the current reality of child care in B.C.

“It sets out some first steps towards enhancing the current system of parent subsidy and wage top-up for child care workers,” Davidson said.

“What it does not do is offer B.C. children and families a comprehensive range of affordable and accessible choices. We urge Minister Sihota to work with his federal counterpart and all stakeholders to give B.C. families a high quality and affordable range of child care options.

“We pledge to work with him every step of the way toward that goal,” Davidson said.

The provincial government spends $188 million annually on child care while parents pay $1.35 billion. The number of licensed child-care spaces has grown by almost 60 per cent since 1992, and the number of children receiving child-care subsidies has more than doubled to 34,000.

“That’s a big improvement, but it still means that there are only 66,000 licensed spaces for 65,000 children under the age of 13 in the province,” Kwan said. “Almost 80 per cent of women aged 25-44 are in the workforce. Many of them are mothers. That’s the reality.”

Copies of Building A Better Future for British Columbia’s Kids will be available through public libraries, child-care resource centres, MLA constituency offices, offices of the Ministry of Social Development and Economic Security, the Ministry for Children and Families, the Ministry of Women’s Equality, government agents and at http://www.sdes.gov.bc.ca on the Internet.

The provincial document was released one week after the federal government made promises of improvements for children in the federal throne speech.

- 30 -

BACKGROUNDERS

Media Relations Manager
Communications Branch
Telephone: (250) 387-1412

Chris Gainor
Media Relations
Cell Phone: (250) 889-2286

The Vancouver Board of Trade

TASK FORCE ON EARLY CHILD DEVELOPMENT AND CHILD CARE
INVESTING IN OUR CHILDREN IS GOOD PUBLIC POLICY
JULY, 1999

SUMMARY OF RECOMMENDATIONS

That public policy make investment in early child development for children aged 0-6 years a spending priority.

· That the Year 2000 Federal Budget be developed as the ‘Children’s Budget’.

· That funding for this initiative be from reallocation of spending priorities, not increased tax revenues.

· That early child development centres for all children aged 0-6 years be established which have the following characteristics:

· That communities be supported to develop this framework of centres based on existing infrastructure.

· That the centres be phased in over a five-year period starting in 2000 with the oldest age and decreasing to youngest, so that adequate numbers of early childhood education teachers can be trained.

· That a public awareness and education campaign be supported focused on the value of early childhood development.

We support the vision outlined in the document “A National Children’s Agenda.”31
“Canadians want their country to be one where all children thrive in an atmosphere of love, care and understanding, valued as individuals in childhood and given opportunities to reach their full potential as adults... Given the opportunity to develop their physical, intellectual, emotional, social and spiritual capacities to their fullest, children will become tomorrow’s successful and enthusiastic parents, caregivers, workers and citizens.”

Grant Category

Date of Report
to Council

Proposed 1999 Funding

Recommended to Date

City-Wide Support Services

July

$248,850

$248,825

Administration of City-owned Facilities

July

$64,750

$64,100

Research, Policy Development & Innovations

May/July/December

$20,000

$20,675

Program Development

May/July/December

$0

$5,000

Inner-City Sustaining

July

$214,000

$213,000

Program Enhancement

July

$120,000

$121,000

Program Stabilization

as required

$5,000

 

TOTAL:

 

$672,600

$672,600

BALANCE:

   

$0

* * * * *


cs991104.htm


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