Thursday 12 February 2009

choices for childcare

I am saddened that Choice for Childcare can begrudge someone else childcare choice, and resent your choice of language. "Stay at home fireplug" doesn't quite name it. This post diminishes the point of view the Canadian Labour Congress makes, that it takes a village to raise a child.

We fought in the 70s for choices. Too many times women diminished the choices other women made: to work, to break through the glass ceiling, to stay at home, to use formal childcare, informal childcare, to home school. Barbara Byers has it right. This budget does not help the women and children who are such an intrinsic part of society.

I believe we have to share financial, human and physical resources. There are layers to child care, only enhanced by those who help each other. We have learned much form the home schoolers associations, despite being dominated as they are in the US by fundamentalist right-wingers.

I would hope that my granddaughter would have choices and that those who cannot afford to, but would like a hand up, to be able to go out and work, confident that their children are getting good care. Good day care benefits society, as much as the families who depend upon it. For those who choose to stay home, good for you. I made that choice and do not regret it. But it is about CHOICES.

2 comments:

Sara said...

I don't begrudge anyone elses choice, what I begrudge and I posted that on my blog quite clearly is the government only allowing ONE choice and leaving others to suffer.

Jenn Jilks said...

If you make less than a good salary you do not have a choice. Single mom, women working at mininum wage have no choices.

My other point was, criticize the policy not the person. You diminish the person, a woman, who is representing CLC policy.

Quality day care has an immeasurable effect on children raised in poverty. In government supervised, non-profit day care centres, with early identification of psychosocial issues, intervention, and a hand up for women who are victims of the cycle of poverty, we can only help them.
It is a small price to pay for the suffering of these women an children. It gives them dignity, hope, and self-esteem to hold a job, and trust that their children are in quality placements. The 'choice', without day care, is poverty.