Thread by @pancholi_rakhi

When the amended Early Learning & Child Care Act and Regulations are finally made available for all to see, here's some things to keep in mind:

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#ableg #abpoli

The UCP eliminated accreditation last year, quality standards for child care. @rebeccakschulz committed to addressing it in the new legislation. That didn't happen. I tabled an amendment to expressly include quality standards in the legislation. The UCP voted that down. #ableg

I tabled amendments to recognize affordability & inclusiveness as critical for families, the important role of qualified & supported educators, children's right to access quality early learning & the importance of indigenous families & educators. The UCP voted these down. #ableg

I tabled an amendment that would go beyond simply adding "early learning" to the title of the Act and focused on early learning as a key element of a child care program. The UCP voted this down. #ableg

In response to the Woolfsmith Fatality Inquiry (looking into the death of a 22 month-old child in unlicensed dayhome), I tabled amendments to make unlicensed child care safer. They included decreasing the # of children permitted in unlicensed care (similar to other provinces)...

...requiring parents to be told that their care-provider was unlicensed, and establishing the ability for a registry of unlicensed providers so that at a minimum, it was known who was providing unlicensed child care. The UCP voted all of these amendments down. #ableg

What the new legislation will do is make the licensing process slightly less burdensome. That's fine. But we have a child care sector in crisis, parents desperate to return to work, under-valued & under-supported educators & children who deserve access to quality early learning.

Nothing in the legislation that is about to become law makes Alberta's early learning and child care system safer, more affordable, more accessible, or higher quality.

And that's an utter failure. #ableg

(P.S. I would post a link to the amended Act and the new Regulations, but it's not accessible yet, despite the Minister promising to share the draft regulations for feedback before they come into effect.) #ableg