One thing that COVID-19 and this course has shown me is that as ECE’s we are often overlooked. There was a global pandemic resulting in multiple centers needing to close in order to protect staff, and the families attending. This decision was not made lightly and in BC was not mandatory. For the centres that chose to stay open they received government funding to take “essential workers” children and so staff could receive “hazard pay”.  While the funding was also offered to those who remained closed, as always it was short lived. We were only “essential” when they chose. What supports will we receive now? No plan of action has been made, that I could find to help continue to support ECE’s.
For months, the economy took a hit due to people not being able to find care for their children, causing much uproar in communities. There was a point where the government started referring to childcare as “essential”. Now that we are open, and the school year is upon us the school divisions are running at reduced numbers and offering online work in order to help keep the numbers from rising. Yet for childcare funding is being cut, forcing many centres to HAVE to increase their numbers in order to pay the overhead costs. The support and recognition ceased for those closely working with young children, placing us back into the place of being high risk for exposure, as well as being grossly underpaid and without guidance on how to move forward to protect families and staff.
http://www.bccdc.ca/Health-Info-Site/Documents/COVID_public_guidance/Guidance_Child_Care.pdf
In this link is the only real guidance that childcare has received from public health. It is only two pages and doesn’t outline any tangible steps childcare can take in order to protect staff and families. Simply stated is that its low risk for children to catch it, that we should review and revise our health policies, but no ideas or guidance. To me, it feels as though it is more to be a “you’ll be fine” statement that a guideline. Even from licensing the most guidance we have received is much the same, revise our health policies. Centres have had to take their own measures to protect their families, by having daily health declarations, temperature checks, as well as new rules for how to conduct parent-teacher interactions at both drop off and pickup. Some centres have ramped up cleaning, and that is it. They are not aware of anything else that they can be doing to protect those in contact with the centre. Simply because many are just trying to survive.
In recent news we have seen cases linked to childcare settings resuming operation. In Calgary and Leamington, Ontario are two examples of this. Below are the related news articles.
Everything that we have been striving for and working towards as a profession is once again coming to a slow drip. We need to find our voices again as educators and advocates. It is our professional duty to act and not just complain. Better support for teachers means better support for children.
Join ECEBC, let the government know that we are in fact professionals and deserve to be treated as such.
Go to the ECEBC meetings. Stay up to date on current issues, or opportunities to share your voice in your community.
Write to the government, show them that our education is worth more than simple child minding. That we are a profession weakened by lack of support. Not just for a pay raise, but for a better childcare system for our families and communities.
https://www.ourcommons.ca/Members/en/rachel-blaney(89354)#contact
https://www.cicic.ca/1301/ministries_departments_responsible_for_education_in_canada.canada
Become apart of the ECE community on Facebook.  I recently joined a group that’s focus is to educate, advocate and support ECE’s in BC.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/434083326780322/
It is time for ECE’s to find our voices again and utilize our education and passion to advance our profession, one letter, one meeting, one step at a time.