To you, the mother who goes back to work. To you, the mother who, out of obligation or choice, places your child in someone else’s arms every morning. Who asks you if their emotions will be accompanied with gentleness and empathy. If he doesn’t throw too many tantrums. Who wonders if your child will get the attention he needs to understand, because it’s still difficult at home. I understand your distress. I am also that mother.
I too went through 500 calls, Facebook groups, word of mouth, Place 0-5. I too was gnawing at myself wondering what I was going to do when my parental leave ended. Leave my job? Coming back part-time and sharing the days with dad? The grandparents are not close, so we are not lucky enough to have this option…
And then I got the call. The famous call. I still remember the relief, the joy. Then stress. Will the person take care of it? She will still become an attachment figure… Am I making the right choice? Will they go outside every day? Will there be screens? What happens when the child cries and doesn’t want to sleep? Will he be accompanied?
Ultimately, did I really have a choice? I took the place they offered me.
And now this week, a damning report from the Auditor General on the quality of educational childcare services was made public… And the mama bear in me wakes up. Our little ones. The apple of our eye.
How can we accept that a third of childcare services do not meet the minimum quality standards of the Ministry of Families?
How is it that, when the Auditor General investigates, we are not able to say whether the offenses reported were minor or major? Why is there no follow-up after a failed installation? How can we neglect the health and safety of our little ones by not ensuring that the ratio of trained educators per group is respected?
By not following up when we realize that an installation has a lead level exceeding the limits permitted in its installation? By going on a case-by-case basis, according to “good judgment”, to manage complaints? What is good judgment? Good judgment remains subjective, and behaviors considered common not so long ago are now considered educational violence… Why don’t we have standardized grids, up to date according to the most recent studies, to determine if a complaint is serious or not, whether it should be judged immediately or not, and to determine the consequences to be applied?
My eyes glaze over when reading these unacceptable findings. I understand that we need to complete the childcare network. I myself went through the immense stress of finding a place. I understand that we need to create places quickly.
But at what cost ? We don’t want parking lots for our children. We want a safe and secure place, in which our children will be supported so that they can develop their full potential.
To you, Suzanne Roy. You who are at the head of the Ministry of Family. You are responsible for the childcare network in Quebec. You certainly have a duty to ensure that this network meets parents’ needs in terms of quantity of places, but you also have a responsibility to ensure that it meets the needs of children. These children who sometimes spend up to 40 hours a week in their environment, who learn to make themselves understood, to follow rules, to socialize, to express their emotions. Their development during these first five years of life is decisive for the rest of their evolution.
Take responsibility.