Our daughter Malou is three years old and lives with Down’s syndrome. She is affectionate, exploratory, clumsy, like most children, but let’s say she requires more attention than average.
Malou has been fortunate enough to attend CPE Pomme d’api, in Quebec, since she was one year old – it’s really lucky when you know the current difficulty of finding a place in daycare. And she is doubly lucky because she can count on the support of specialized education technicians (TES).
On November 25, his CPE was on its 10e day of strike since the start of the fall. A 10e a day when Malou could not set foot in his childcare setting, play with his friends and benefit from the support, patience and lessons of his educators. For us, it’s a 10e day trying to offer the best of ourselves to Malou while trying to cobble together a semblance of work and study schedule.
By refusing to respond to the demands of childcare workers, the government is solely responsible for the current situation.
While it has just made a commitment to offer us, among its four main priorities, “a Quebec that stands behind its young people and its families”, is it not absurd that it so stubbornly refuses to treat with dignity those who play a leading role in the development of our children?
As part of the current negotiations, the government is trying to impose differential treatment on childcare workers. Yes, educators deserve salary increases (and surely more than what the government offers them) and their work, complex and essential, must stop being undervalued. But the work of other workers must also be given due recognition.
In our case, for example, we see the difference TES can make every day. They are the ones who support children who have needs that their educator cannot meet alone and who offer them moments of individualized learning.
They enable them to experience success by adapting to their needs. They implement the recommendations of various professionals (speech therapists, occupational therapists, etc.) and monitor intervention plans through their sustained communication with parents and professionals.
While a TES takes care of Malou, the educator of the group can breathe a bit. Of course, children have everything to gain from having a child like Malou in their group, but for an educator, caring for a child who lives with a disability represents an additional challenge.
The presence of TES is definitely a condition sine qua non the integration of certain children into a childcare environment adapted to their needs. The trade unions are also asking for more resources for children with special needs.
The foolishness has gone on long enough. It is time for the government to put an end to its double talk and respond to all the demands of childcare workers – and not just wage demands. Parents are exhausted, children too, and childcare workers are at least ten times more exhausted.
We would like the government to show the same willingness to invest in the future of our children as it can show in defending a ruinous, unnecessary and polluting project like the third link.