The Lucknow Sentinel, 1984-10-24, Page 2cs'
tr!.,
Luclmow, Sentinel, Wednesdah October 24, 1984ge 2
Day care crisis brewing in Huron county
By Shelley McPhee
Day care concerns in Huron County were
taken to the provincial government level on
September 26 when a: !Will group made a
presentation to the Standing Committee on
Social Development.
The committee held hearings in Strat-
ford to listen to concerns from surrounding
counties. The Huron presentation took up a
half day and was made by parents and
representatives of the Women Today net-
work. According to spokesperson Valerie
Bolton, committee members were impres-
sed and supportive with the innovative
presentation made by the group of men
and women.
"We broke the stereotypes of career
women....I know we really had an. impact
on them," Ms. Bolton noted, "We found a
way for letting the ordinary people talk to
them and it worked."
• Depicts Problems •
• Six women and one man from Huron
Coinity went before the committee to
discuss their personal problems with day.
•Care services in the county. The presenta-
tion was illustrated . by a giant mural,
• prepared by local women who attended a
Women Today workshop on , child care.
The mural used no graphs, statistics or
figures. It was drawn in free hand, on a
large sheet of newsprint and showed the
real life problems, frustrations and dreams
•of parents in Huron County.
•The mural shows a, sketch of Huron
County. Municipalities are marked on the
map between roads paved in dollar signs.
It shows that in Huron County there are
only two ; government funded day care
centres, in Wingham •and Vanastra. They
offer quality, full day care services, but
funds from the provincial and federal
government may force cuts, which will
threaten the continuence of these centres.
The mural points out that many parents
• have to drive a half hour to get their child
•to a centre (over 25 miles) and back again,
using up much more time and gas expense.
Roads • are covered in dollar • signs to.
represent this expense as well as. Huron
County's preference to spend money on
roads and highways rather thanon child-
ren, according to the Women Today
• presentation.•• ,
Another illustration shows a woman who
• must work overtime, but the day care
centre ig closing at 5.30 p.m.
The mural also shows highly skilled and
• educated child care workers who subsidize
the child are centres with low wages.
Ms. Bolton explained with only two day
care centres in the county, other towns like.:
FEATURE
Goderich, Seaforth and Exeter have limited
choices for child care. While most towns
have nursery school facilities, these usually
only offer half days programs. As well
Huron County has no child care for
children who aren't toilet trained. This
• means that working mothers , with infants •
must find their own child care.
The mural -illustrates this, showing a /
professional woman who must take her
baby to work with her because there is no
one available to care for her infant.
Hiring a babysitter is the immediate
solution for many working mothers, but it'
may not be the ideal one.
Finding a reliable babysitter is difficult. -
The mural shows that informal, child care
arrangements are often less than adequate
or reliable. Children are left in front of the
TV, rather than being supervised.
Another illustration shows that a baby-
sitter will not issue •a parent a receipt,
• because she does not want to declare this
as income for tax purposes. This makes the
parent unable to take advantage of child
care costs as a tax 'deduction.
The • mural also shows the problems -
faced by parents who work shifts. Child
care is difficult to arrange for afternoon
and evening work.
Another woman illustrates the problems
she faces meeting the cost of child care on
• her limited income.
The mural also depicts the problems that
Huron County's adverse weather condi-
tions can have. A winter 'storm. is approach-
ing. Early school closings have children
• coming home early because of bad
• weather, and walking up long snowdrifted-
• laneways while parents are still at work.
Wood stoves create a fire hazard in homes
for children who otherwise are old enough
to be at home for an hour or so after school.
Mothers also voice concern about
• children arriving home on the school bus to
• an empty home. Parents may not be keep)
come home from work for an hour or two.
• Working parents may also have a
problem arranging for children to be cared
for between the time they must leave for
work and the time the bus picks up the
• school children. •
Child care problems • are not a sole
concern of parents working outside the
home. The Huron County presentation also
• •
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• • ,
Wingham Day Care Centre is one of two government funded.chlld care facilities in Huron
County. Day care concerns In the county were presented to the provincial government's
Standing Committee on Social DevelopMent at hearings in Stratford hi SePtember.
Pre-school teacher Maureen de Bruyn of Lucknow is shown with children at the Wingham
Centre. ••[Photo by Shartin Dietz]
illustrated the unique problems faced by
farm families. .
The mural shows.. children playing'
around a tractor and farm implements,
creating Wsafety hazard when both parents
working. during peak farm periods.
• Many children have beenhurt and some
killed because there was no one caring for
them while the parents worked on the
• •
farm. - ,
The Women Today presentation stressed
that modern farming necessities much
dangerous equipment which is not an
• approriate play environment .for children.
• As well, many women who share the
•firming work with their husbands '.are
forced to leave children alone in the house
while ,their parents do chores.
• Women who are at_ home also reported
•problems. A Goderich housewife sketched
her predicament, being at home with
several pre-school children and not having
the opportunity to get a break from her
children, for even a few hours. •
St. Joseph's area mother illustrated
her dreams, to use her ideas and creative
ability to start her own business, or to do
volunteer work to contribute to her
community. Her goals are hampered
because there are no child care facilities
for her children.
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• THIS YEAR IS THE YEAR TO LEARN HOW TO
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, •
Phone 357-2179 for more details.
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1
• The mural suggests•that greater support
from elementary schools may be part of the
solution. 'They could provide before and
after school care. They could •train and
provide certificates for babysitters and
provide inquiring parents with references
to trained 'teenagers in their area. •
Women Today hopes to make child care
concerns a community issue. They believe
that local municipalities, the government,
clubs, schools and individuals can help to
solve the problem:
The answers to the concerns of Huron
County parents are not easily identifiable.
One of the bigget obsta4les to overcome is
how to finance more quality day care
facilities.
Solution
Ms. Bolton noted, "I think that we were
afraid to look at: the problem because we
felt there was no way we could solve it."
Women Today representatives hope that
the Standing Committee on Social Develop-
ment will seriously consider the problem, of
child care in Canada and particularly in
Huron County, perhaps choosing the area
for a pilot project on rural day care.
• The presentation urged the committee to
"investigate appropriate ways of making
quality, affordable child care accessible to
all children in the province."
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