Childcare needs urgent, says Opposition

While the P.E.I. government has been focused on moving kindergarten into the school system, the province's early childhood education system is in danger of coming to pieces, says the Opposition.

The Progressive Conservatives focused on daycare in question period as the legislature returned for the spring session Wednesday. Since 2000, when kindergarten was first publicly funded on the Island, daycares have received government subsidies for teaching kindergarten. In September, those children are moving into the schools, and many businesses say they willmiss that revenue.

"It's a huge concern. There's right now a risk of 30 to 35 centres that may be closed as early as June," said Opposition leader Olive Crane.

"We've been trying to get attention - for the parents, for the facility owners, for the staff across P.E.I. - for the last two years, and this government seems to not understand the crisis that's facing them."

No money has yet been set aside to help early childhood centers, but Minister of Education Doug Currie said there is some coming.

"There will have to be an investment. I don't have an exact figure," said Currie.

"Right now there's a volume of work that's being done, the impact analysis on the [money from five-year-olds being] taken out of the sector."

Currie said the government is also aware there is a need to look at somehow increasing wages for early childhood educators.

Crane said she issurprised by what she calls a lack of planning in early childhood education, and said it should be part of government 's whole prosperity strategy. Quality daycare, she said, is an essential component of getting people to work.

"We've seen a number of glossy documents," she said.

"Islanders, especially parents, employers have come to us as well, [and said] we need affordable, accessible childcare."

Currie said he can't make any commitment right now because the budget, which will not be delivered until later in the month, is still being written.