Submission #2341

The news of pedagogical support funding being cut back is very concerning as a parent of two children who are both in a designated daycare facility here in Montague. My now 6 year old was born through Covid-19 and has very much social anxiety from being at home consistently at an early age and having limitations on who we could include and have as support during that trying time. When our daughter was finally accepted in to her daycare facility. Our pedagogical support worker was absolutely crutial to smooth drop offs, emotional struggles through the day and transitioning our daughter from feeling scared to feeling excited and comfortable with being away from both her father and I while we are working. Without this support, we would have more then likely had to pull our child out of a daycare atmosphere and with that, one parent would have to stop working and be home with our daughter which would counteract being able to develop the social skills that are so key to being successful in life and child development. I find it very frustrating our government puts parents in a situation where they have to choose if they can go to work to afford all the expenses that come with todays price of living. Our province wants a working society, yet they can not keep the supports and funding for essential workers who play a major role in our children’s lives. How as parents are we to stay home with our children, afford to keep food and a roof over our heads if we do not have the adequate staff in our daycare facilities to support early childhood educators in their work and care for children.

I truly hope our government sees how critical it is to keep this funding for pedagogical support workers in early childhood facilities. Our children are this province’s future…. and if we don’t pay attention to them now.. where will we be as a province when these children enter the work force and have to live their daily lives with the lack of skills that could have been developed at the early stages of support in a daycare.

Our daycare staff needs these support workers to be able to implement the high standards of the models that are set to be met by our early learning and education department through the pyramid model curriculum.

I fear my one year old daughter who now attends the same wonderful center my six year old attends for the before and after school program, won’t receive the same care and attention as staff will eventually feel burnt out, not supported for preparations and activities, as well as the pressure to still meet the expectation of the level care that parents expect from their early childhood center.

This will impact generations to come, and from a millennial parent who grew up in an education system with a lack of resources such as pedagogical support workers and EA’s in classrooms, this funding cut is extremely disappointing. I hope these impact statements at least make it known how disappointing this decision is and is reconsidered.

Sincerely,
Chrissy Crane