Advocates had broad support, and the government
started a childcare system intended for any family in Quebec. The tuition five
dollars a day. It would cost almost a billion dollars in the first year alone,
and
no one knew if it would actually reduce poverty
and social costs. Investing in early childhood is a no-brainer at this point.
But when you start a network like that, knowing not only the initial investment
to get it going and really the structural change that you're putting in place,
and the annual recurring cost, there are a lot of risks ( raising children).
Any Robillard directs a child development center,
known as a CPE, in the Montreal neighborhood of Villeray. Today, sixteen years
later, parents pay seven dollars a day. Most every afternoon Alexi Chartrand, a
freelance media producer, picks up his son Vladimir. CPE spots are coveted -
there still aren't enough to go around. Vladimir was on a waiting list for two
years. It's actually like a call from God. I have tons of friends that are on
the list and waited. When they called us... at first we didn't believe it,
because normally most of my friends called before they have their child so,
"Oh, you're pregnant! All right, let's call." Alexi's wife Veronique
works part-time in the evenings, and by day pursues her education. The CPE
system has turned out to be a good investment for Vladimir, but also for his
family.
Veronique's schooling will boost her family's
life-long income and well-being. If Vladimir had not gotten a spot at a CPE,
none of this would have been possible ( raising children).
Quebec's childcare system is costly, and most of
the returns will pay out when children grow up. But one benefit appeared right
away. We used to have a lower labor force participation compared to the rest of
Canada, but since the new family policy, we have surpassed the rest of Canada.
Now, having mothers with young children in the labor force is very beneficial
for the government, because people paying income tax are less dependent on
government subsidies and hence, for every dollar that is invested in the
childcare system the government gets back about a dollar and four cents, so it
pays for itself.
Affordable childcare is not the only investment
Quebec makes in its families. By law, all mothers can take weeks of paid maternity leave at a percentage
of their salary, and most of the leave can be shared with the father. But
that's not all... Mothers receive free universal pre- and post-natal care and
services. Businesses must provide flex-time and nursing breaks for mothers. You
have common situations of parents being able to take up to year off and the
participation of fathers, because you can share their times into that, has
changed the dynamic in so many ways. That, too, is important and can't be
neglected. This time is so important. They're so small, and you're not going to
live that again, so I think it's important just to live this with your child ( raising children).
This is Adam Norman, a 30-year-old father and a journalist. I consider being a father as my full-time duty, which comes before my actual job of journalism. As a father, there will always be new challenges for me to face everyday while raising my kids. This is where the idea of this website came from. I wanted to give out my experience, along with the experience of others, to all parents out there who need an advice with raising their kids.
ConversionConversion EmoticonEmoticon