Canadian PM Unveils National Child Care Plan

"Life must go on; I forget just why." - Edna St. Vincent Millay

Canadian PM Unveils National Child Care Plan

Prime Minister Paul Martin, locked in a tight electoral contest, announced a "signature" $5 billion, five year spending commitment to kickstart a national affordable child care program inspired by the $7 a day child-care system pioneered in Quebec.  According to the platform of Martin's Liberal Party, this plan, dubbed "Foundations:  A National Early Learning and Child Care Program," will be based on four key principles:

Quality:  Each facility must be regulated by the province or territory to ensure safety and an appropriate complement of professionally-qualified child development staff.

Universality:  The program will be open, without discrimination, to pre-school children, including children with special needs.

Accessibility:  Thre program will be affordable for parents.

Developmental:  The program must include a component of development/learning that is integrated with the care component.

To read this entire platform discussion on Foundations, go to http://www.liberal.ca/platform_e_3.aspx

For more information about Exchange's magazine, books, and other products pertaining to ECE, go to www.ccie.com.

© 2005 Child Care Information Exchange - All Rights Reserved | Contact Us | Return to Site