Child Care Tag

14 Jun 2021 The Erosion of the Family that Christians Aren’t Talking About Enough

By Levi Minderhoud Orthodox Christians are champions of the family. And rightly so. Stretching back to the beginning of history and the creation of the world, marriage (and, by extension, the family) was the first institution that God created (Genesis 2:18, 24-25). Chronologically, the family supersedes the state, the church, and any other institution in society. For that reason, Christians often call the family the “basic unit” or “basic institution” of society. Inseparable from the concept of the family is the principle that parents have the primary responsibility to care for the...

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27 May 2021 A Christian Discussion Around Daycare and Child Care – Part 3

By Levi Minderhoud & Anna Nienhuis The recent 2021 Federal Budget featured a massive commitment – $30 billion dollars over five years, not including matching investments by provinces – to subsidize child care. As ARPA Canada has not addressed child care policy in depth since our coverage of the all-day kindergarten debate over a decade ago, two staff members teamed up to provide a series of three blogs to discuss this topic. Through this three-part child care series, we hope to present some ideas and questions that will get Christians thinking...

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26 May 2021 A Christian Discussion Around Daycare and Child Care – Part 2

By Levi Minderhoud & Anna Nienhuis The recent 2021 Federal Budget featured a massive commitment – $30 billion dollars over five years, not including matching investments by provinces – to subsidize child care. As ARPA Canada has not addressed child care policy in depth since our coverage of the all-day kindergarten debate over a decade ago, two staff members teamed up to provide a series of three blogs to discuss this topic. Through this three-part child care series, we hope to present some ideas and questions that will get Christians thinking...

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25 May 2021 A Christian Discussion Around Daycare and Child Care – Part 1

By Levi Minderhoud & Anna Nienhuis The recent 2021 Federal Budget featured a massive commitment – $30 billion dollars over five years, not including matching investments by provinces – to subsidize child care. As ARPA Canada has not addressed child care policy in depth since our coverage of the all-day kindergarten debate over a decade ago, two staff members teamed up to provide a series of three blogs to discuss this topic. Through this three-part child care series, we hope to present some ideas and questions that will get Christians thinking...

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30 Aug 2012 Nurturing children: Why “early learning” doesn’t help

Aug 30 2012, By Andrea Mrozek, Institute of Marriage and Family Canada: "I want to make sure that my son learns how to get along with others," one parent will say. Another will add, "My daughter is shy. I want her to be with other children, to help her come out of her shell." A third might enthusiastically report that her child loves all her friends at daycare: "She can't wait to go and spend time with them!" These are just some of the things parents say when it comes to the benefits they see in the social settings that pre-schools, daycares and all-day kindergarten provide. Parents are rightly concerned about whether their children get along well with others. However, is it true that early interaction with peers improves socialization for young children? Canadian developmental psychologist Dr. Gordon Neufeld says this is not the case, particularly in sending young children into "social" environments before they are ready. [1]
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28 Apr 2011 Universal daycare leaves Sweden’s children less educated

ARPA Note: The author of this article will be speaking at the IMFC's Family Policy conference on May 5 in Ottawa. If you live in the area, considering attending what should be a quality event. By Jonas Himmelstrand, National Post (April 26, 2011): While preparing for a trip to Canada, I have learned that many Canadians consider my country, Sweden, to be a model for good family policy. After all, Sweden has a universally accessible, government-funded daycare system, and a 2006 study by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development ranked Sweden at the top and Canada at the bottom in childcare provision. Indeed, Swedish family policies are internationally admired, offering comprehensive and affordable daycare, gender equality and a high percentage of women in paid work. This, however, is only one half of the story.
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05 Mar 2011 Police called to prevent leaflet at public forum held on public property

ARPA Note: Helen Ward, who distributed these pamphlets, was featured at ARPA's event on full-day kindergarten last year in BC Roadkill Radio - Media release: February 23, 2011 (Burnaby)—On February 22, 2011 the West Vancouver Police were called to prohibit the distribution of an information leaflet at a public forum, held at a municipal theatre. The West Vancouver School District and the West Vancouver Memorial Library held a “community forum on Early Learning” featuring Dr Fraser Mustard, a well-known advocate of universal daycare and all-day ...

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20 Dec 2010 Quebec bans religious teaching in public daycares

CBC.ca, Dec 17, 2010: The Quebec government is banning religious teaching at all of its publicly funded daycares, prohibiting everything from group prayers to craft projects involving religious symbols.Family Minister Yolande James released a new guide Friday to religion in subsidized daycares that comes into effect next June. As part of the new policy, daycares will not be allowed to teach prayers or any religious doctrine. Daycares that continue to do so will face sanctions including loss of their government subsidies. "We clearly say that our...

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22 Sep 2010 All-Day Kindergarten: Interview with Economist Kevin Milligan

Talking to economist Kevin Milligan on all-day kindergarten, Nobel laureate James Heckman and the purported economic benefits of universal plans (By Andrea Mrozek, Manager of Research and Communications, IMFC) Kevin Milligan is a professor of economics at the University of British Columbia. He is the author of a number of papers pertaining to maternal benefits, employment and child care, including an assessment of Quebec’s 7-dollar-a-day daycare system....More recently, as claims are being made in both Ontario and British Columbia that all-day kindergarten will bring untold economic benefits, Professor Milligan has been a voice of reason. His concerns stem from an examination of the research.
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30 Aug 2010 Your Letters Make a Difference: BC Government Changes Plans on Part-Time Kindergarten

In a surprising turn of events, ARPA Canada has learned and confirmed that the BC government has announced that independent schools may now maintain half-day kindergarten with funding. According to a notice from the Office of the Inspector of Independent Schools "While government remains committed to the implementation of full-day Kindergarten for all five year-olds by September 2011, government also recognizes that independent schools support parental choice. After reviewing requests for continued funding for half-day Kindergarten in independent schools, government has agreed to fund half-day Kindergarten programs in independent schools."
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