More than 65 unionized child care professionals at UBC, fellow union activists from BCGEU Local 303, and union staff gathered at St. John’s Community Square on the evening of May 1, 2012 to start a conversation about how to move forward and achieve equitable wages without compromising access to affordable, quality child care. [click to continue…]
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Check out the recent article in the Ubyssey, UBC’s student paper, on efforts that I am part of to achieve child care equity at UBC. Our aim is to achieve gender pay equity without compromising access to affordable, quality care. [click to continue…]
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The caring professionals at UBC who built and now sustain a nationally recognized child care program deserve more than poverty wages.
Given that we are college trained, government licensed professionals, who are responsible for children’s well-being and optimal development, our wages should not be barely at or just below the “living wage” for Vancouver. So why aren’t the wages paid to UBC’s child care professionals equitable? Why are we paid poverty wages for professional work? [click to continue…]
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One of the lessons coming from Quebec, where over 125,000 students have maintained an eleven-week strike in opposition to the government’s plan to make education merely about training workers for private interests, is that everyone’s involvement matters. Students are engaged now in a debate about the future of the province: Is education for social justice? Or is it about nothing more than handing over the next generation for the benefit of those who seek to control others in the interest of private profit alone?
At the heart of this debate is the value of community and the role of culture in shaping our future. Without access to education that is both critical and creative, younger generations face huge challenges to building an enriching community life – centred on the values of fairness, democracy, and shared prosperity. Worker bees cannot sustain democratic culture. We need people who can think critically and work creatively for that. [click to continue…]
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Check out this great short animation on the benefits of quality child care to communities. It was produced by early childhood educators who were part of ECEBC‘s Leadership Program…
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Not only does UBC operate the largest campus-based child care system in North America, but its programs are also recognized as a leading force in early childhood education in BC and beyond. By focusing on the basic values of respect and dignity of children, partnering with families, and encouraging a range of approaches and diversity of offerings, UBC stands out in the quality of the child care provided to students, faculty and staff. [click to continue…]
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Fixing the mistake of gender inequity at UBC requires stepping out of the net zero mandate. Moving from an unfair wage to a fair wage is not a “pay increase.” It’s a correction.
UBC benefits from the outstanding programs that its child care professionals provide to the University community, but doesn’t even pay a base wage that reflects our qualifications, responsibilities, or value. Now it’s time to solve the problem of gender pay inequity, by implementing fair wages without a raise in fees for parents or a reduction in spaces for children.
Child care providers at UBC are paid poverty wages for professional work, a reflection of sexist notions about the value of “women’s work.” The fact is, 98% of early childhood educators are women. Moreover, UBC’s child care is an equity rights program, opening up education and employment opportunities for women and supporting all families enrolled or employed at the University. Child care equity requires both gender pay equity and access to affordable, quality child care. [click to continue…]
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From the Vancouver Sun – the Vancouver living wage is $19.14 an hour:
For families with young children, the costs of basic necessities like food, rent and child care quickly add up. Even with full-time work year round, both parents in a family of four must earn at least $19.14 an hour to escape severe financial stress in Metro Vancouver. read more
At $17.21 an hour, I am paid less than $34,000 a year as an early childhood educator at UBC. To even qualify for my position requires a college diploma and a government license to practice. I am a member of a professional association, and if I worked in Ontario I’d be recognized as a professional by the province. There I would need to be a member in good standing of Ontario’s self-regulatory College of Early Childhood Educators. The occupational standards of my profession are detailed and require great skill and a high level of professional knowledge. I am expected to support children’s well-being and development, and I follow government guidelines articulated in the BC Early Learning Framework. [click to continue…]
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Strong communities include everyone. Everyone should contribute and everyone should benefit. We are stronger when we’re united and not divided. This is especially the case with co-operation between generations, given the need for people of different ages to share with each other.
Younger generations depend on older generations for wisdom and access to existing power structures. Older generations depend on younger generations for innovation and economic growth. Together we adapt and grow, supporting each other and sharing our unique contributions with each other. [click to continue…]
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