{"id":8157,"date":"2020-06-08T10:58:54","date_gmt":"2020-06-08T15:58:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.une-sen.org\/press\/?p=8157"},"modified":"2020-06-08T10:58:54","modified_gmt":"2020-06-08T15:58:54","slug":"psac-calls-for-more-measures-to-support-workers-facing-child-care-challenges","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.unesen.ca\/press\/?p=8157","title":{"rendered":"PSAC calls for more measures to support workers facing child care challenges"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>\n

The Canadian economy is slowly reopening but\u00a0many individuals, especially women, will be\u00a0unable to return to the\u00a0paid\u00a0workforce due to the lack of\u00a0affordable and accessible\u00a0child care.\u00a0There has always been a serious shortage of licensed\u00a0child care\u00a0services but COVID-19 has made it impossible for\u00a0child care centres to function at full capacity.<\/p>\n

Child care\u00a0scarcity<\/h2>\n

It is expected that, as a result of\u00a0safety concerns,\u00a0the number of\u00a0child care\u00a0places available per\u00a0program will be reduced for a period of time.\u00a0For example, the government of Quebec is phasing the reopening of\u00a0child care\u00a0reducing the number of spaces to 30 per cent of normal capacity.\u00a0Screening children and parents when they arrive,\u00a0monitoring\u00a0children\u2019s health\u00a0throughout\u00a0the day,\u00a0and the required\u00a0cleaning of toys and other surfaces can\u2019t\u00a0be done without\u00a0limiting the number of children in the care of staff.<\/p>\n

Safety concerns<\/h2>\n

Many parents\u00a0are\u00a0concerned for the safety and health of their children\u00a0and worry about\u00a0child care\u00a0safety\u2014especially those who\u00a0have no choice but to use unregulated and unlicensed service providers.\u00a0\u00a0The fact that provincial and territorial governments are not issuing\u00a0uniform\u00a0safety guidelines for\u00a0child care\u00a0is contributing to parents\u2019 lack of confidence in child care.<\/p>\n

Source: http:\/\/psacunion.ca\/psac-calls-more-measures-support-workers-facing<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Workers need greater access to affordable childcare<\/h2>\n

The Public Service Alliance of Canada continues to advocate strongly\u00a0for accessible,\u00a0affordable,\u00a0safe and high quality\u00a0child care. COVID-19 has only reinforced the importance and challenges related to child care that existed pre-pandemic.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0government\u00a0simply\u00a0must do better.\u00a0PSAC\u00a0envisions a future\u00a0where\u00a0licensed\u00a0child care:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n