Group members:Zhengrong Shou

Songxu WangXiaoshi Wang

Single parents struggles------Extended Hours Child Care

Issues and causeStakeholdersQuestions for researchAction plansTake action

Agenda

The problems are that the difficulties for single parents to balance work and children on their own.

Identified and explained 1. Being a single parent can be very hard and challenging. (financial

stress, lack of family support)

2. Hard to find a required long hours day care facility for children

3. Having to balance work and children can be an overwhelming effort for

single parents. 

   

Issue

Single-parent families on rise in TorontoThe proportion of lone-parent families in the region has increased since the 2001 census, when they represented 16.4 per cent of all families and 21.3 per cent of families with children.(http://www.theatlanticcities.com/politics/2012/11/building-cities-families-today/3963/

Issue

  The single parents’ problems about balance work and children  Some of single parents have to work in variable rotating shifts, require overtime late evening and this contrive a problem for parents to find the day care with extended hours to support and provide the facility for their children.

Issue

Many single parents under financial stress. Sometimes single parents cannot afford the high cost of quality care.Some of them have to work non-conventional, or not 9-5 hours when daycare centers are closed or relatives are not available to watch the children. Most of them don‘t have any family support to help when they have late working hours.The decision to leave a child alone is often made by parents who are in anguish about the lack of childcare options available to them, while trying to balance the needs of their jobs and families.

Cause: 

ParentsGrandparentsDay care providerECEDaycare center organizationStudent parentsGovernment

Stakeholders:

Definition “Extended Hours Child Care” means a full-day, part-day or school-age program that is licensed to provide day care for up to 18 hours per day, under the following circumstances: (i) the setting is in operation for more than 12 hours per day; or (ii) the setting is in operation past 6:30 p.m.; or (iii) the setting is in operation during the weekend.

Research 1: Will single parents be supported with longer hours in Toronto?

The home-based day care facility already started the extended hours in Toronto. It takes subsidized children in home-based day care. For single parents who are working long hours to support family and home can benefited with this opportunity.

Research: 1. Will single parents be supported with longer hours in Toronto?

Licensed Private-Home Day Care Agency : Wee Watch Childcare Center child care from 6 weeks of age up to 12 years, full and part-time care including evenings, overnight in select areas "Sun-Sat 7 am-6 pm, extended hours available in select areas." (Wee Watch, 12 Sep 2011) Unscheduled monthly child care also available for subsidy-eligible clients http://weewatch.com/wee-locations/welcome-to-wee-watch-brantford/

Research: 1. Will single parents be supported with longer hours in Toronto?

Working long hours to support a family is hard enough for parents. It became more difficult when we look for the day care centre in GTA.

Both parents have to work and support their family to keep the family status balance and reduce the financial stress.

Research 2:Did longer hours provide flexibility and financial support to parents in GTA?

Family Home Day Care Agencies in GTA develop their own policies/guidelines regarding extended hours care, including the overnight stay." ( Standards for Extended Hours Child Care, July 1, 2011).

The home based day care already started the extended hours and do support subsidy in their program

Research 2:Did longer hours provide flexibility and financial support to parents in GTA?

Positive impact: Provide the flexibility and financial

support to parents. (eliminating the late fees, traveling during rush hours and in emergency work meetings stress)

Enhance children’s academic skills (reading and math capabilities)

Children in child care centers are safer than those who receive care in private homes

Research 3: What’s the impact of children spend more hours at the daycare comparatively with their family?

Negative impact: Children show some aggression and

antagonistic actions in their attitude. Negative effects of day care on social–

emotional development persist throughout early childhood and adolescence.

It swings parents’ mood with negativity and stress which causes the frustration anger in parental behaviour.

Research 3: What’s the impact of children spend more hours at the daycare comparatively with their family?

Make a survey about this issue and send to internet or send to person.

We would like to collect all this kind of surveys and put on the internet, such as Facebook, twitter.

Make a poster. We would like to post the information about the

single parents’ current situation and solutions such as the extended hours child care center.

Action plan

Our group members made a survey about “Extended Hours Childcare Center”. We served the questionnaires at school, then we sent the feedback to the childcare center.

Link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/BGD25LP

Take action

Q and A

How do you think about extending hours childcare center? Is there any help for your own situation?

https://www.google.ca/search?q=childcare+center&es_sm=93&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=oNJOU8HuNMmr2QXyi4H4DQ&ved=0CAkQ_AUoAg&biw=1680&bih=906#q=children%20cry%20in%20child%20care%20center&tbm=isch&facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=JXk_R1aYdFY58M%253A%3BnbB7Jx-EhPV85M%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fi.huffpost.com%252Fgen%252F1130260%252Fthumbs%252Fo-LYZ-LENZ-570.jpg%253F9%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.huffingtonpost.com%252Flyz-lenz%252Fhow-to-raise-a-kid-who-isnt-whiny-and-annoying_b_3248085.html%3B570%3B570

http://www.webmd.com/parenting/news/20010419/long-hours-in-day-care-increase-risk-of-behavior-problems http://www.attachmentparenting.org/support/articles/artresearch.php http://www.gov.ns.ca/coms/families/provider/documents/day_care_regs/Standards_Ext_hours.pdf http://weewatch.com/wee-locations/welcome-to-wee-watch-brantford/ https://www.google.ca/search?

q=childcare+center&es_sm=93&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=oNJOU8HuNMmr2QXyi4H4DQ&ved=0CAkQ_AUoAg&biw=1680&bih=906#q=child%20care%20center&tbm=isch&facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=WrlE4PAwma52xM%253A%3BFgDa1jEG97ALYM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.arup.utah.edu%252Fabout%252Ftour%252Fimages%252FChild-care.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.arup.utah.edu%252Fabout%252Farup-lab-tour.php%3B475%3B352

https://www.google.ca/search?q=childcare+center&es_sm=93&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=oNJOU8HuNMmr2QXyi4H4DQ&ved=0CAkQ_AUoAg&biw=1680&bih=906#q=child%20care%20center&tbm=isch&facrc=0%3Bchild%20care%20center%20floor%20plans&imgdii=_&imgrc=_

http://www.theatlanticcities.com/politics/2012/11/building-cities-families-today/3963/ http://www.ofa.gov.on.ca/charts/CHART-VISIBLE-MIN-G5-(Stacked)-ENG-02.gif

Reference

Thank you!