This is a bimonthly newsletter featuring community updates from Capilano University President and Vice-Chancellor Paul Dangerfield.
September 2023
Twenty-five years ago, my wife and I were living across the country and scrambling to find appropriate before- and after-school care for our two young daughters. I remember it as a very stressful time. Sadly, it’s a scenario still faced by so many of today’s working parents: quality child care is hard to find, and often even harder to afford.
In 2016, the legal advocacy group WestCoastLEAF issued a discouraging report on the patchwork state of childcare services in British Columbia, noting, “the situation results in serious repercussions for the human rights of individual women and children, and plays a key role in entrenching women’s inequality more broadly.”
Training the next generation of early childhood educators
As one of western Canada’s leading Early Childhood Education (ECE) programs—offering certificate, diploma and degree options—this fall, CapU has more than 500 students in its ECE degree and diploma programs. We know that quality child care is inextricably linked to social and economic development, and essential for creating healthy communities. When children are healthy, safe and learning well in their early years, they are better able to reach their full potential as adults and participate effectively in economic, social and civic life. Not to mention, their parents can breathe easier.
Our commitment to support early childcare opportunities
At our on-site childcare centre on the main North Vancouver campus, CapU already offers $10-a-day spots for 72 children—and that number will grow to almost 150 when the new Centre for Childhood Studies opens next fall. Beyond providing additional childcare spaces and practicum placements for educators-in-training, the centre will also serve as a vital research hub that will equip government leaders and policy makers with the data they need to drive positive change for families across our country. (In fact, CapU research contributed to the implementation of $10-a-day fees here in B.C.) And further along the Sea-to-Sky corridor, CapU’s recent acquisition of a beautiful new campus property in Squamish means students like Tatiana Moraru (see below) will soon be able to earn and apply their ECE credentials closer to home. We are also actively exploring locations for child care to ensure the new campus will also include a childcare centre.
Providing affordable child care
Late last fall, CapU’s leadership team was privileged to deliver news to families at the campus childcare centre that their daycare fees were now capped at $10-a-day. Through tears, parents told us what it meant to them in very practical terms: the possibility of home ownership; the ability to afford a second child.
In a world that has been turned upside down in recent years, the ability to provide on-site, affordable, high-quality child care is a massive contribution to community stability. It creates a calmer and more sustainable experience for children and parents, and allows our employees and students to participate more fully in their work and education. And with more well-trained early childhood educators like Ms. Moraru preparing to step into early childhood centres here at home and across the country, I am hopeful for the future of families everywhere. I’m leaving the last word to her…
Warmly,
Paul
Tatiana Moraru, Early Childhood Care and Education degree student, and Educational Assistant at Dragonflies Childcare Program in Squamish, B.C.
“It’s important to learn from a young age that we are all together in our community and that we respect each other.”
“Quality ECE is very important and valuable for young children and their families. It’s important that parents understand we are professional educators and not just babysitters. I have a master’s degree and was a foreign language teacher in Moldova. In 2019 my children were young, and I thought I would just do the certificate program and then embrace working. But because it’s such a strong university and gives so much knowledge to its students, I continued on to the diploma program and now the degree. We believe every child is unique, capable and full of potential. We practice inclusion—every child is welcome no matter their differences—race, culture, abilities, different learning pathways. Every idea is welcome. We help children to learn through curiosity; their questions are so important. We also want to help children understand how they can help others, how they can remove barriers for others who may have different abilities. We celebrate everyone!”