Member-to-Member Connection (Summer 2013)

Let’s rethink child care

Think child care is ‘just your problem’? Think again. So many families are struggling to find decent child care and are scrambling to piece together care they can afford. It doesn’t have to be this way. It’s time to re-think child care.

A new campaign on child care is being launched by the labour movement to highlight the difficulties of finding quality child care. Child care is often viewed as an individual problem: “It was your choice to have kids, why should I pay to raise them?” Yet so many parents find the stress of finding, affording, keeping and juggling child care arrangements incredibly stressful. If you have a child with special needs, the challenges are even greater. The lack of quality, affordable child care is really a collective problem.

Through this campaign, we want to create space for people to share their stories, to talk with each other about how hard it is, and to begin to visualize what needs to happen to make things better. We want to make sure your voices and stories are told and children with special needs are recognized.

The campaign will involve Kitchen Table Conversations, small events that encourage sharing stories and experiences relating to child care in Canada. This will help identify what is working well and what needs to change.

This issue highlights stories of our members’ struggle to find and afford good care. We hope this will spark you to write your own story.

What you can do

• Check out the campaign website at www.rethinkchildcare.ca;
• Share your own story of child care difficulties;
• Host a kitchen table conversation with a few friends and co-workers;
• Talk to your union