Letter from the BC Teachers' Federation (BCTF) on this National Day of Action for Child Care 2024

By email: executive.director@ecebc.ca

November 18, 2024

Emily Mlieczko, Executive Director
Early Childhood Educators of BC
309 - 515 West Pender Street
Vancouver, BC V6B 1V5

Dear Early Childhood Educators of BC:

Subject: Thank-you letter to the Early Childhood Educators of BC

On this day, the National Day of Action for Child Care, I want to thank you on behalf of the BC Teachers’ Federation and its 51,000 members for all your hard work and meaningful contribution to the lives of children and families in this province.

I continue to be proud and inspired by the work childcare professionals do across this province in support of children and families. Teachers know that quality care is a fundamental part of a thriving community. Our members support quality care and need this care for their own children. The move of childcare from the Ministry of Children and Family Development to the Ministry of Education and Child Care allows us to collaborate more meaningfully on improvements to care. It’s been an honour to work alongside your union representatives and advocates for better, more accessible care in BC.

We were pleased to see the expansion of before- and after-school care as well as the $10 a Day ChildCareBC program be contemplated during the provincial election. We know that for so many families, their child’s experience in the early years provides the foundation for a healthy and meaningful relationship to education throughout their lives. There is more work to do in this regard, and we commit to supporting your advocacy and your work both publicly and within our membership into the future. Your professional expertise, commitment to quality care, and support of families across the province is important. We want to take this opportunity to celebrate your work and your passion and thank you.

Since we’ve last been in touch, we haven’t seen improvements to your wages or working conditions, and I know that this continues to be a key issue for you. We support your demands for a comprehensive wage grid that guarantees competitive wages and will continue to actively support you on this front. Similarly to teaching, we know that recruitment and retention of workers in your sector is key to a thriving childcare system.

Lastly, I want to assure you that as your partners, we believe that together, we can support access to high-quality, inclusive childcare and K–12 education that realizes the goals of professional wages, better working conditions, and publicly supported infrastructure that honours children. We look forward to doing more work alongside you. Thanks to all of you for your hard work. Happy National Day of Action for Child Care!

Happy National Day of Action for Childcare!

In solidarity,

Clint Johnston
President