Discussions

I’m interested to hear people’s thoughts and opinions about #support26k.  
 
I know there are walks in Winnipeg and Wawanesa next Tuesday, anywhere else?  
 
For those who don’t know anything about this here is an article: https://globalnews.ca/news/5122901/26000-manitobans-sign-petition-to-increase-early-learning-child-care-funding/  
 
There’s also a great video on Real Westman’s facebook page talking about it!

Daycare workers need all the support they can get.

on the part of Pallister's party to cut funding to child care & early education just as the Federal Conservatives back when Harper was being a dictator cut funding to literacy programmes back in the day. It's unfathomable to me why politicians CUT funding in such critical areas because without both these types of programs our society as a whole suffers. If you haven't got the fundamental learning skills then finding a job other than in a fast food joint is almost impossible. The local day care here in the rural area I live in has to have fundraisers to get enough $$$ to keep the doors open & that's not acceptable.

When is it up to the parents to afford their own children? I know I could have only afforded one child but didn't expect a handout to help me pay for it. When we were receiving subsidy we were in school and working at the same time. Once schooling was done we managed to find decent jobs. Should it be limited to those that want to improve themselves? Should they take the child tax payments each month and give to daycares instead?

I wrote a long paragraph, but ended up deleting it. Simply put, in this system even if a "normal" household invests all their money into food and housing. There would be hardly ,if anything, left over each month for anything else. That is the full reality off it.

No, I do think this should be funded by taxpayers.

There has been major cuts in education as it is. Get that back on track before we start putting children in school from birth.

The government sets the fees Manitoba-wide and they have only increased by $2.00 over the last 30 years!!!! That’s not acceptable!

Are you saying you don’t believe early learning centres to be an essential service? Some parents don’t have the choice to become stay at home parents, and if there were no early learning centres where would their children go? Early Childhood Educators make SIGNIFICANTLY LESS than Teachers ( yes I understand there is less schooling). Daycare budgets are also SIGNIFICANTLY LESS than schools. The early years and the most important (developmentally) of a child’s life, this needs to be prioritized!!!

I am sorry but I still don't understand how some can argue against the notion that if you can't afford kids, don't have them. The idea that having kids, when you can't afford them, is a noble gesture done to ensure the longevity of the species is self serving and delusional. In fact, that is the type of backwards thinking that has led to the overpopulation of the planet which strikes me as more of a grave concern than climate change at this moment.

I understand not everyone can be stay at home parents. Yes, children learning at an early age is important. So, why don’t you teach your child/children when they are younger. Don’t expect tax payers to solve your problems. Just remember, the government pays for nothing.

The Westman article says governments should kick in for infertility problems. Not a chance would I ever support that.

Teaching children from an early age is not the only reason that daycares exist, in fact daycares are all about play-based learning!  
 
A very high percentage of the population would not be able to go to their jobs without daycare for their child(ren).  
 
Daycares are an essential service, and thy need to be treated as such.  
 
I’m not sure what you are meaning by “tax payers to solve my problems”?? Please elaborate.

No, they are not an essential service. They are important, not essential. It is more important to you because you use day care. I don’t believe taxpayers should foot this bill. Any of us who own property, we pay education taxes, and we should. We are paying for education from K-12. I think that is more than enough for taxpayers. Anything before is your responsibility. We all have issues in our lives that are important to us and taxpayers don’t pay for it, and they shouldn’t. Our society has become so reliant on “someone” else paying. I think it is more important to fund the education for special needs children and their funding is getting less and less. What happens to them? Why don’t you do some research and get a group together to do some play based learning a couple of times a week?

Also, maybe some of my education taxes are already funding daycares. I don’t know.

I don’t have children in daycare, but I do work in the ECE field. The petition isn’t only asking the government for more funding, which by the way hasn’t been increased in 4 years, it many other things they need to consider. Parent fees have only increased $2.00 in the past 30 years, this is set by the government and not individual centres!  
I find it hard to believe that people could consider this not an essential service as it absolutely is! Good luck going to see your doctor, dentist or optometrist if they have no daycare to send their children to. How about the grocery store? If workers that have children had no where for their children to go, who would work at the stores?

Everyone should support this. The mast majority of the world cannot work without child care. We are the most essential service. I could see if you don’t have children how it wouldn’t be a priority to you or effect you directly- but maybe your sister, brother, best friend does have children. Not only do ECEs need fair wages but we need more funding for more subsidized spaces. Parents are sitting on waiting lists for YEARS and never getting a spot. How many parents on social assistance that cannot work because they can’t find daycare. Child care is essential for everybody to succeed in life. So how one would refuse to support this is really beyond me.

Also for those who complain about the lack of daycare in Brandon- in order to make a new centre to work, you need ECEs to do so. A large portion of ECEs leave the field and find something else within 5 years due to unfair wages, burn out and demanding duties. Work in a daycare for 8 hours for 1 week straight and I can guarantee your outlook would be very different.

If the daycare centres all decided to strike, the government would let you. They would not force you back to work, so, it is not an essential service. It is important. Asking for more money from taxpayers is not going to work either, there is only so much money to go around. This is what is wrong with our society. Expecting taxpayers to pay for everything. They can’t. If every government funded daycare shut down next week, it would be total chaos for awhile. Then, parents would come up with a solution for childcare. It is kind of amazing what happens when your back is against the wall and you have to figure out what to do yourself, instead of letting someone else worry about it.

I love how you think it is that easy. “It would be chaos for a while and then everyone would just figure something else out” if only that were the case. Also I have cared for children of doctors, nurses, police officers, cashiers, waitresses, basically any occupation you could think of- and I promise you, that without daycare they wouldn’t of been able to get to work. Maybe 50 years ago when it took a village,

Accidentally pressed sent too early- 30,40,50 years ago, everybody pitched in to help. So many parents these days have very little support systems and rely on us.

No we could not go on strike, we are not unionized.

Please do not confuse my belief that parents should be responsible for paying for their children's care with an assumption that I don't think quality child care is extremely important.  
 
I think ECE's provide very valuable service and possibly deserve more money. I just think that money should come directly from the parents including all possible tax breaks for same.

I didn’t say you would go on strike, and I realize you are not a union. I said “if” . The government would not intervene. Meaning, you are not an essential service. But, you are important.

I didn’t say it would be easy. I said the parents would come up with a solution. Of course you have cared for children for all those professions, you are there, they use the day care. The system we have now, taxpayers paying and taxes keep going up, is not sustainable and if you think it is hard now with lack of funds, wait until it all crashes. And it will. Then, solutions will be found.

I make over 100k per year and I still get roughly $200/month for child tax. For someone like me that's just mad money, or beer money. You still think that program is working as intended??

For those of us who make the needed sacrifices to keep 1 parent home instead of using child care, I would be very angry if my taxes were used to pay for other people childcare. That isn't fair. If you want childcare, find a way to pay. I don't use it, I don't want to pay for it.

Your tax dollars are used for childcare already. It is called subsidies. Why do you think more people want these centres? They are subsidized and parents don’t have to pay as much compared to private.

Subsidies are NOT available to everyone, parents must have a low enough income to qualify for subsidies.

Tax dollars are still used for them, regardless of who gets it.