Mother seeks help beyond daycare in plan

The P.E.I. government will release its long anticipated plan for the early childhood sector Friday, and one mother is hoping it will look beyond daycare in providing help for parents.

The review was prompted by the move of kindergarten out of daycare and into the schools. That is a double hit for daycares, which will lose the income that came from the subsidized kindergarten spots, and some workers who will move into the schools as well.

Daycare owners have made it clear they need help to stay open and pay better wages.

But one Island parent wants the province to look beyond daycares. Hannah Bell has a good job and comfortable home, but when she had a baby at the age of 39 with no partner she found herself overwhelmed.

"I had never even held a baby before my daughter arrived," said Bell.

She got that help from the Best Start Program, a provincially-funded program run by Chances Family Centre for vulnerable children and their parents. Every week a worker visited Bell to provide advice and some hands on help.

Currently the program is available until a child is two, but Bell said she wants to see that extended to three years. That's what it was when the program started in 1999.

"Ending at 24 months, we were hitting another stage where we really needed that additional support," she said.

"I would really love to be able to call up my Best Start worker and say how do I handle this, or did I do the right thing?"

Early Childhood Development Minister Doug Currie would not give specifics on Friday's announcement, but he did say it will be focused on improving wages for childcare workers, giving them more training, and giving parents more childcare options. "This will mean quality access, and affordable access, for families and children," said Currie.

Bell hopes the plan that will be unveiled Friday will consider the needs of parents from the day their children are born.