The immediate funding crisis means there are far less licensed child care spaces than there are children who need care. Facing this reality, many parents are forced to turn to unlicensed providers, who are not accountable for quality or safety standards. Far too many of these families don’t have the information they need to make informed child care choices.
As a result, the unthinkable can happen.
A CBC Marketplace survey looked at parents’ knowledge of their unlicensed providers. The results are surprising:
- Nearly one-quarter of respondents did not know whether their child’s caregiver has basic, critical skills such as first-aid and CPR training, police background checks and Early Childhood Educator credentials.
- Almost half did not know whether their provider held appropriate insurance. Another 25 per cent indicated that their provider was not insured.
- Worse still, nearly three-quarters (74 per cent) believed their provider was licensed, a highly unlikely result given how few licensed spaces actually exist.
All parents need to know what questions to ask their child care provider. The Marketplace story shares some important tips, as well as more details about the survey.
Ultimately, a system of high-quality, safe and accessible licensed child care is needed to meet the needs of all families.
See the stories at http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/2013/02/22/marketplace-daycare-survey.html and http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/2013/02/21/marketplace-unlicensed-daycare.html.
See the detailed survey results at http://www.cbc.ca/marketplace/media/episodes/2012-2013/whoswatchingthekids/documents/daycare-survey.pdf