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Child & Youth Sector News
National Family Week campaign - Invitation to contribute
The Canadian Association of Family Resource Programs (FRP Canada) invites your organization to contribute to their fall public awareness campaign - National Family Week. This year, National Family Week is October 1-7 and the theme, The Grandparent Connection / Les liens entre les générations, celebrates the role of the grandparent - as nurturer, caregiver, role model, historian and so much more.
Over the years, National Family Week has given family members, organizations and agencies across Canada an opportunity to celebrate the diversity of families and the important role families play in society.
If your organization is interested in contributing a bilingual one-page e-resource related to the grandparent theme, please contact Jackie Scheffel at scheffel@frp.ca or 613-237-7667 ext 224 for further details. Examples of past partner contributions are archived in the Resources section of www.frp.ca/NFW and www.frp.ca/SNF. Mid-July deadline for submissions.
Rural child care: Supporting farm families and their children (Vanier Institute of the Family)
Article examines the unique challenges rural farm families face when caring for their children on the family farm.
Community Collaborations and Pathways to Youth Employment Resources
The White House Council for Community Solutions conducted extensive research and outreach in the areas of community collaboration and pathways to employment for youth. The Council, in collaboration with researchers and other third parties, has created a series of tools and resources for leaders across sectors in communities, including business leaders. Read more
Bernard van Leer series on Early Childhood Development (ECD)
Issue 7 of Early Childhood in Focus from the Bernard van Leer Foundation aims to "better understand and critically evaluate reports of new findings from the expanding and increasingly important field of developmental neuroscience". Have a read of their series on ECD.
New online survey will make a difference for ECEC
It is the first time in 15 years that the sector will be collecting and analyzing data on centre-based, full-day, licensed child care programs for children aged 0-6. The survey will include employers, administrators, owners, all staff in supervisory positions, and all staff who work directly with children.
You Bet We Still Care! will help paint an accurate picture of the workforce. The new research will be invaluable to our advocacy efforts to increase the wages in ECEC-a critical component of quality services. The results of the survey will help us push for change. Make sure you check out the website for more information and complete the survey if you are eligible.
Letter from CCCABC to Honourable Mary McNeil, Minister of Children and Family Development New Brunswick: Amendments proposed to Early Learning and Childcare Act (Government of New Brunswick, May 16, 2012)
"Amendments have been proposed to the unproclaimed Early Learning and Childcare Act to establish a single piece of legislation called the Early Childhood Services Act. The amendments are subsequent to the transfer of early childhood services to the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development. The new act would combine all early childhood programs and services such as preschool autism intervention, prenatal support, early learning and childcare, and early intervention.... Changes to the section of the act detailing curriculum frameworks are proposed so that licensed childcare facilities use only one of the two frameworks provided by the department." Read more.
Provincial Government Allocates Five Hundred New Child Care Spaces Across Saskatchewan (Government of Saskatchewan, May 10, 2012)
"Education Minister Donna Harpauer, today announced that the Saskatchewan Government has allocated 500 new child care spaces to 15 communities across the province. The allocation is based on the 2012-13 provincial budget which provided $2 million to develop 500 new child care spaces across Saskatchewan, and an additional $4 million to cover the
capital costs of those new spaces." Read more. Children's Aid Foundation Funding Opportunity (Due: June 8, 2012) The Children's Aid Foundation is seeking information from organizations about programs and services provided to new Canadian children, youth and families for a potential funding opportunity. The information provided in response to this RFI will be gathered from agencies across Canada and will be used to develop and distribute a Request for Proposal. Read more. Ontario: Special Education Report (People for Education)
Ontario's auditor general and the Learning Disabilities Association of Ontario have been calling for changes to special education for a number of years. The new data in our report shows that the need is urgent. It's time to begin reviewing special education services in Ontario. Among the findings in the report: An average of 18% of elementary students and 24% of secondary students require some form of special education assistance. These numbers have increased steadily over the last decade; 47% of secondary schools and 50% of elementary schools report there is a cap on the number of students who can be recommended for special education assessments. Read more. Births and Babies in 2009 (Vanier Institute of the Family)
In which month were the most babies born in 2009? Where do we find the lowest fertility rates in Canada? This month's fact sheet includes statistics on births, fertility and more. Newfoundland: Partnership to explore integration of early childhood learning programs (Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, May 8, 2012)
"The Provincial Government has entered into a partnership with the Margaret & Wallace McCain Family Foundation and the Jimmy Pratt Foundation to study innovative ways in which to integrate early childhood learning programs in Newfoundland and Labrador with a view to enabling the smoothest possible transition to school. "This partnership will begin with a six-month research study, conducted through Memorial University, which will include an examination of different early childhood learning programs in the province, and the identification of specific best practices which lead to a seamless transition to Kindergarten," said the Honourable Clyde Jackman, Minister of Education..." Read more.
The Federal Budget and Women CCPA blog by Angella MacEwen asks "what specifically in this [federal]budget impacts women?" and "what's left out?" Child Care is a Right
Check out what's been added to the CHILD CARE IS A RIGHT project. Working for a Living Wage 2012 (Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives)
"Families who work for low wages face impossible choices - buy food or heat the house, feed the children or pay the rent. The result can be spiraling debt, constant anxiety and long-term health problems. In many cases it means that the adults in the family are working long hours, often at two or three jobs, just to pay for basic necessities. They have little time to spend with their family, much less to help their children with school work or participate in community activities. The frustration of working harder only to fall further behind is one many BC residents can relate to." Read more. | 
