Hours between 3 p.m. 6 p.m. have long been a challenge for many parents. Now that the year is in the midst of a global pandemic, it is even more delicate.
Preschool and post-school systems are neglected, advocates say. They say this is a blind spot that can increase the coVID-19 threat in primary school students in particular.
“Even though young people in a pre- and post-school program all come from the same school, they continue to rely on other cohorts,” said Martha Friendly, a longtime childcare advocate and founder of Childcare Resource and Research Unit.
“It’s inevitable.”
Preschool and post-school systems are a must for many parents who paint outdoors during the school day. But because not all families use these services, some young people may meet with other peers before and after school. And since not all schools have their own day care center, some young people may even end up with students from other schools sometime in the day.
“Then where do the young people come from in this program?” said friendly.
The “cohort” and “learning groups” will be the norm in many schools in September, as educators adhere to public fitness regulations to prevent coronavirus outbreaks. The tactic aims to minimize the number of academics and tevery oneers in contact with each other while maintaining the consistency of those touches as much as possible.
The size of these groups has drawn widespread concern. Advocates say the concern is even greater when before-and-after-school care is factored in.
“It’s treated like a later thought,” Carolyn Ferns of the Ontario Coalition for Better Child Care said.
“We seek to be the same young people. This total scenario has made it clear that we cannot continue to treat day care and schools separately. They’re the same young people and we want a plan.”
In Ontario, schools and day care can resume operations at full capacity in September. This will mean that the length of primary and equipment categories of up to 30 young people will be allowed, there are differences between school boards.
In B.C. In schools, students will be placed in learning teams, which elementary and high school students will be grouped up to 60, and the school’s top students in teams up to 120. full capacity.
In Alberta, where childcare considerations are high, the province has allowed up to 30 youth and in the same area, whether in schools and child care programs.
At the federal level, childcare rules describe grouping numbers, but propose that operators “consider converting program delivery” by reducing the number of children in the same area at the same time, if physical distance is possible.
Teachers in British Columbia, Alberta, Quebec and Ontario demanded smaller classes.
Child care advocates say preschool and post-school systems are also smaller.
“Schools and childcare: they both interact,” Ferns said.
For the YMCA, which provides preschool and post-school care to more than 90,000 young people aged between four and 12, changes have already been made.
Unlike many operators, the YMCA continued to offer systems during the summer, adding child care for a must-have staff and some day camps.
“We’ve learned a lot, but it’s obviously a huge challenge,” said Peter Dinsdale, president and CEO of YMCA Canada.
“Of course, there have been effects on the proportions we sometimes have with staff and children, so we’ve expanded the facilities, whether it’s studio rooms we don’t use before or being artistic in outdoor spaces.”
“In the pre-COVID era, workers could simply move into a room to prepare snacks, but many rooms are now closed,” he said. “So we had to look for opportunities like bringing your own snacks or snacks to go, just other approaches to make sure we met all the standards.”
But while the YMCA has reveled in resorting in September, there are many authorized and personal operators who have been “completely abandoned to their own devices” to follow the no longer clear instructions, Friendly said.
Many provinces have been criticized for being kindly consulted by service providers and network stakeholders prior to the implementation of the guidelines.
It’s a point of friction in Ontario,” Ferns said.
He said the directive is vague, leaving many parents “rightly” and feeling ill-equipped to make the most productive resolution for their children.
“Many are concerned about those larger organizations,” he said. “And then you have to balance the resolve of sending your child back to the organization’s child care programs.”
Adjustments similar to COVID-19 have created monetary demand situations for child care centers and program providers, adding the YMCA.
Among advanced cleaning protocols, adjustments in the proportion of children per staff and increased use of the facilities, Dinsdale stated that there were unavoidable operational losses.
“We have higher expenses and less revenue,” he said. “The cleaning criteria are more expensive, the adjustments are more expensive. Staffing in all grades is a challenge.”
But for some young child care providers, demanding monetary situations have been too hard to bear.
Fern said she talks about many amenities in Ontario that are final forever.
“For child care systems, monetary sustainability is based on full enrollment,” he said. “Many child care systems make their own decisions to reduce the length of the groups, but they will pay the price. These are non-profit systems; it’s not about making money, it’s about keeping the doors open. »
The Trudeau government announced on August 25 that another $2 billion would be provided to the provinces and territories to ensure that young people can return to school safely.
Cash can be used to help adapt learning spaces, air ventilation, the creation of hygiene protocols and the acquisition of more non-public protective devices (PPEs).
However, the “financial burden of child care” is not addressed, Ferns said.
“We want some coordination. How can we have preschool and post-school systems that restrict the cohort and combine greater investment that can keep the duration of those equipment low?”