Quebec's Educational Program for Childcare Services: Meeting Early Chilhood Needs:
Follow this link to a document that ressembles a mix of the BC Early Learning Framework and child care licensing regulations in BC.
Saturday, 10 December 2016
Thursday, 3 November 2016
I know, I know...i's been a while...
...procrastination seems to be a big weakness at times for me. The thought of posting on my blog has crossed my mind at least once a week since the summer, but all I can say is progress has been painfully slow integrating into Quebec. All areas are moving forward it seems, except for my Early Childhood Education Career, but I will get to that.
After 3 months we got our health insurance cards from the province, so we are now able to get on the waiting list for a family doctor. Our estimated wait time is 270 days...the nice thing is that it's all done online, you enter in your details, put in your health card number and presto! You are on the list. Easy.
4 months after we moved here, we got Quebec plates and insurance for our car.
We have been here 5 months now, and just got our driver's licenses this week.
Our son is doing great in daycare, he is attending 3 days a week, and enjoys most of it, except nap time (since he doesn't nap any more at home), and he still has a hard time separating from us int he morning, and if his educator is away.
I have still not been able to work in Quebec I had been told by a daycare operator where I applied for a job that my license to practice would be worth nothing here, and that I would need to get a "comparative evaluation" of my studies. In other words, I would need to obtain both my transcripts from college, and all of my course outlines, describing the courses that I took in post-secondary. I also went to Emploi Quebec, and they told me the same thing. They even gave me the correct forms to fill out...thank goodness! I thought I was finally on my way.
So...I went to work contacting my colleges and gathering all of this. Unfortunately my ECE education was done at 3 different colleges as my program was cancelled when I was 95% finished at Kwantlen, so I had to finish part of it at Vancouver Community College and part at Langara. Obtaining transcripts and course descriptions cost money...in case you didn't know, but I knew it was necessary in order to get certified here. I found out also that the cost of processing this comparative evaluation was $115 Once I had accumulated this massive stack of paper, I called the ministry responsible for the comparative evaluation and asked if I could drop it off to the instead of mailing it, so I could save on the postage. I was asked what this was for, and after explaining my situation, I was told that I did not in fact need to send the documents in, and if I did, they would be returned to me and I would lose the fee of $115. I was told to refer to website:
"The Ministère de l'Immigration, de la Diversité et de l'Inclusion has adopted specific rules regarding document requirements. Considering that the diplomas issued by Canadian provinces and territories are comparable to corresponding Québec diplomas, the Ministère stopped evaluating these documents as of July 1, 2015."
I thought to myself, "Have I just wasted weeks of time and effort, and hundreds of dollars collecting all this for nothing?!" So I decided to seek out the daycare operator that gave me this information in the first place and to ask for her help. When I showed up at her centre, I discovered she no longer worked there. Hmmmm.
Next I asked if the manager of my son's daycare would be so kind as to point me int he right direction. Maryse has been an angel, she has been in touch with the Ministry of Families for me and is going way over and above her job description to aid me.
It turns out I did need those course outlines, as I need to prove how many HOURS of schooling I did. I have to go through every course outline and total up the number of hours, and that will tell the Quebec Government what level of education I have. They also want me to prove how many HOURS of experience I have in the field, which means my resume is not detailed enough. There is a ladder or pay scale decided by the amount of experience you have. They want letters from my previous employers with start and end dates, showing many hours per week I worked. Now I have been in the field for 18 years and my first job was when I was 18 years old. I have managed to contact all of my former employers, but one has no record of me in their database as it was so long ago, and another one sold their business to another company, so that company doesn't have any records from the previous owner. My latest hurdle is to prove that I ran my own home-based daycare for 2 years. I worked for myself, so I'm counting on a child care licensing officer to write a letter confirming that I owned and operated a child care centre Monday to Friday from 7:30am to 6:00pm for 2 years.
I provided a copy of my ECE basic program certificate from Kwantlen, as I completed that portion and graduated, but the government wants to see my "diplomas" from VCC and Langara too. I did all my courses for my infant/toddler at Kwantlen, but my practicum was done at VCC, so I didn't get a diploma from VCC. I just transferred there to complete the program, and I did all my Special Needs Educator courses at Kwantlen except for Special Needs Program Planning and my practicum. I transferred to Langara from Kwantlen too, so I did not get a diploma or certificate from Langara either. I have learned that I can now, 15 years later, apply to graduate from Langara and receive a certificate...for $35. But VCC is not as easy. They cannot issue a certificate because I only did my practicums there, no other courses. The thing is, the other ECE and Infant toddler courses were prerequisites to the practicums, so I would never have been allowed to enroll in the practicum had I not previously taken the required courses!! I convinced a representative from VCC to look at my transcript from Kwantlen and give me a chance. I just want to be given credit for what I have done. I want to get paid what I deserve to get paid and I want to start working!
At least I have my criminal record check done...that took two months.
Wow-this blogging is great therapy. I should have done this a long time ago!
Why all the bureaucratic BS? I have jumped through so many hoops, it's ridiculous! I can't be the first person in the history of the planet to move from BC to Quebec as a qualified, very experienced Early Childhood Educator...can I? There's got to be a simpler way to transition from one province to another in the SAME COUNTRY! I know, quit your whining. At least we are not in a position where I needed to work the first week we got here, but COME ON!
Rant over. If anyone has any advice I would love to hear it!
Excuse the gaudy makeup...it was Halloween. Me and my knight in shining armour.
After 3 months we got our health insurance cards from the province, so we are now able to get on the waiting list for a family doctor. Our estimated wait time is 270 days...the nice thing is that it's all done online, you enter in your details, put in your health card number and presto! You are on the list. Easy.
4 months after we moved here, we got Quebec plates and insurance for our car.
We have been here 5 months now, and just got our driver's licenses this week.
Our son is doing great in daycare, he is attending 3 days a week, and enjoys most of it, except nap time (since he doesn't nap any more at home), and he still has a hard time separating from us int he morning, and if his educator is away.
I have still not been able to work in Quebec I had been told by a daycare operator where I applied for a job that my license to practice would be worth nothing here, and that I would need to get a "comparative evaluation" of my studies. In other words, I would need to obtain both my transcripts from college, and all of my course outlines, describing the courses that I took in post-secondary. I also went to Emploi Quebec, and they told me the same thing. They even gave me the correct forms to fill out...thank goodness! I thought I was finally on my way.
So...I went to work contacting my colleges and gathering all of this. Unfortunately my ECE education was done at 3 different colleges as my program was cancelled when I was 95% finished at Kwantlen, so I had to finish part of it at Vancouver Community College and part at Langara. Obtaining transcripts and course descriptions cost money...in case you didn't know, but I knew it was necessary in order to get certified here. I found out also that the cost of processing this comparative evaluation was $115 Once I had accumulated this massive stack of paper, I called the ministry responsible for the comparative evaluation and asked if I could drop it off to the instead of mailing it, so I could save on the postage. I was asked what this was for, and after explaining my situation, I was told that I did not in fact need to send the documents in, and if I did, they would be returned to me and I would lose the fee of $115. I was told to refer to website:
"The Ministère de l'Immigration, de la Diversité et de l'Inclusion has adopted specific rules regarding document requirements. Considering that the diplomas issued by Canadian provinces and territories are comparable to corresponding Québec diplomas, the Ministère stopped evaluating these documents as of July 1, 2015."
I thought to myself, "Have I just wasted weeks of time and effort, and hundreds of dollars collecting all this for nothing?!" So I decided to seek out the daycare operator that gave me this information in the first place and to ask for her help. When I showed up at her centre, I discovered she no longer worked there. Hmmmm.
Next I asked if the manager of my son's daycare would be so kind as to point me int he right direction. Maryse has been an angel, she has been in touch with the Ministry of Families for me and is going way over and above her job description to aid me.
It turns out I did need those course outlines, as I need to prove how many HOURS of schooling I did. I have to go through every course outline and total up the number of hours, and that will tell the Quebec Government what level of education I have. They also want me to prove how many HOURS of experience I have in the field, which means my resume is not detailed enough. There is a ladder or pay scale decided by the amount of experience you have. They want letters from my previous employers with start and end dates, showing many hours per week I worked. Now I have been in the field for 18 years and my first job was when I was 18 years old. I have managed to contact all of my former employers, but one has no record of me in their database as it was so long ago, and another one sold their business to another company, so that company doesn't have any records from the previous owner. My latest hurdle is to prove that I ran my own home-based daycare for 2 years. I worked for myself, so I'm counting on a child care licensing officer to write a letter confirming that I owned and operated a child care centre Monday to Friday from 7:30am to 6:00pm for 2 years.
I provided a copy of my ECE basic program certificate from Kwantlen, as I completed that portion and graduated, but the government wants to see my "diplomas" from VCC and Langara too. I did all my courses for my infant/toddler at Kwantlen, but my practicum was done at VCC, so I didn't get a diploma from VCC. I just transferred there to complete the program, and I did all my Special Needs Educator courses at Kwantlen except for Special Needs Program Planning and my practicum. I transferred to Langara from Kwantlen too, so I did not get a diploma or certificate from Langara either. I have learned that I can now, 15 years later, apply to graduate from Langara and receive a certificate...for $35. But VCC is not as easy. They cannot issue a certificate because I only did my practicums there, no other courses. The thing is, the other ECE and Infant toddler courses were prerequisites to the practicums, so I would never have been allowed to enroll in the practicum had I not previously taken the required courses!! I convinced a representative from VCC to look at my transcript from Kwantlen and give me a chance. I just want to be given credit for what I have done. I want to get paid what I deserve to get paid and I want to start working!
At least I have my criminal record check done...that took two months.
Wow-this blogging is great therapy. I should have done this a long time ago!
Why all the bureaucratic BS? I have jumped through so many hoops, it's ridiculous! I can't be the first person in the history of the planet to move from BC to Quebec as a qualified, very experienced Early Childhood Educator...can I? There's got to be a simpler way to transition from one province to another in the SAME COUNTRY! I know, quit your whining. At least we are not in a position where I needed to work the first week we got here, but COME ON!
Rant over. If anyone has any advice I would love to hear it!
Thursday, 25 August 2016
Long time no see!
Hello to all my followers...it's been a while. It has been a very busy month for us. We had 2 weeks in the South of France for my husband's grandmother's 90th birthday. It was a great vacation, we ate a lot of good food...put on a few pounds while we were there, enjoyed kayaking in the Ardeche Gorges, spent a day in Chateau -Neuf-du-Pape for the medieval festival and a couple of nights in Paris. My son is now very interested in Knights, Castles, Dragons, Swords and all that fun stuff! Thanks to my brother he has some Playmobil knights with armour and weapons and horses...we have been jousting this afternoon and now we are watching Disney's "The Sword in the Stone".
After three days at home we then headed off to Round Lake, Ontario for a week for my birthday and my Mother-in-Law's birthday. Unfortunately on our way there..we stopped for a bathroom break and I injured my back lifting my son up and ended up in an ambulance to a hospital in Ottawa...12 days later I'm still in pain and have found out I have a disc protrusion. Another 3 weeks and I should be back to 100% but have to be careful in the meantime.
In other exciting news, we were offered a daycare space for my son at a centre that we both like a lot. It is not only a "Centre de la Petite Enfance" (fully subsidized by the goverment=$7.55/day), but it is also the location of our local Family Child Care Coordinating office. AKA a licensing office/CCRR for family childcare providers in our neighbourhood. The coordinator asked me to bring in my CV so that I can sub, and I also have an interview at an English preschool on Tuesday afternoon. Thi sis the website for the daycare he will be attending: http://cpefamiligarde.com/
We have actually been offered a daycare space at 7 other centres, which is incredibly lucky. I think because of the time of year it is, a lot of spaces are opening up for the beginning of September. We have decided to enroll our son for 3 days per week as last year he did 2 mornings per week at preschool.
Something I found interesting were the licensing regulations around caregiver to child ratio:
"A permit holder must ensure that the minimum number of childcare staff members present to look after the children receiving childcare in the holder’s facility respects the ratio of
After three days at home we then headed off to Round Lake, Ontario for a week for my birthday and my Mother-in-Law's birthday. Unfortunately on our way there..we stopped for a bathroom break and I injured my back lifting my son up and ended up in an ambulance to a hospital in Ottawa...12 days later I'm still in pain and have found out I have a disc protrusion. Another 3 weeks and I should be back to 100% but have to be careful in the meantime.
In other exciting news, we were offered a daycare space for my son at a centre that we both like a lot. It is not only a "Centre de la Petite Enfance" (fully subsidized by the goverment=$7.55/day), but it is also the location of our local Family Child Care Coordinating office. AKA a licensing office/CCRR for family childcare providers in our neighbourhood. The coordinator asked me to bring in my CV so that I can sub, and I also have an interview at an English preschool on Tuesday afternoon. Thi sis the website for the daycare he will be attending: http://cpefamiligarde.com/
We have actually been offered a daycare space at 7 other centres, which is incredibly lucky. I think because of the time of year it is, a lot of spaces are opening up for the beginning of September. We have decided to enroll our son for 3 days per week as last year he did 2 mornings per week at preschool.
Something I found interesting were the licensing regulations around caregiver to child ratio:
"A permit holder must ensure that the minimum number of childcare staff members present to look after the children receiving childcare in the holder’s facility respects the ratio of
(1) one member for 5 or fewer children present under 18 months of age;
(2) one member for 8 or fewer children present from 18 months of age to under 4 years of age;
(3) one member for 10 or fewer children present from 4 years of age to under 5 years of age on 30 September; and
(4) one member for 20 or fewer children present from 5 years of age and older on 30 September."
Monday, 18 July 2016
I hear thunder.
There are so many thunderstorms here because of the humidity. I love thunderstorms! They are exciting. Luckily my son likes them too. No fear.
Wednesday, 13 July 2016
Oh the Humidity!
It's not as bad as I was expecting. When my husband told me on Monday that it was supposed to be 43 degrees today I was was worried. I actually thought I would be ill. I'm prone to heat rash and sunscreen often makes it worse. But we survived. Thank goodness for the little $120 Air Conditioner we bought on the weekend.
We spent the morning at a "Halte-Répit" (Respite Stop). It's like a drop-in preschool. My son was o with me leaving him for an hour just so I could run a couple of errands, and he said he wanted to go again next week...lucky me! It runs 2 mornings a week from 8:45-12:00, and one afternoon. I pay $2.50/session. There is also a full day program once a month. I can use it 2 1/2 days or one full day per week. This is a privilege of becoming a member of our local community centre, which cost a measly $15 for a year for all 3 of us.
We came home for some lunch and laid on the sticky leather couch for an hour watching Kid's CBC's "Chirp", and then decided to hit up the pool for some refreshment. All the public pools are free in Montreal. I'm guessing that's the same for the rest of Quebec. It doesn't matter if it's indoors our outdoors...it's free.
I'm starting to see where those tax dollars go, and it suits me.
Some photos of the pools and water parks in our area:
We spent the morning at a "Halte-Répit" (Respite Stop). It's like a drop-in preschool. My son was o with me leaving him for an hour just so I could run a couple of errands, and he said he wanted to go again next week...lucky me! It runs 2 mornings a week from 8:45-12:00, and one afternoon. I pay $2.50/session. There is also a full day program once a month. I can use it 2 1/2 days or one full day per week. This is a privilege of becoming a member of our local community centre, which cost a measly $15 for a year for all 3 of us.
We came home for some lunch and laid on the sticky leather couch for an hour watching Kid's CBC's "Chirp", and then decided to hit up the pool for some refreshment. All the public pools are free in Montreal. I'm guessing that's the same for the rest of Quebec. It doesn't matter if it's indoors our outdoors...it's free.
I'm starting to see where those tax dollars go, and it suits me.
Some photos of the pools and water parks in our area:
All free.
Sunday, 3 July 2016
Our new place
Our new place is in the top floor of a duplex in Lachine. A duplex in Quebec can be split up and down rather than side by side as we most often see them in BC. It feels a lot like an apartment inside, but we have our own entrance in the front and back, and a nice sized shared back yard. It has two bedrooms and in-suite laundry and one of those neat ironing boards that folds into the wall.
Here is the front of the house. The top floor is ours, and the middle floor is our landlady's. The bottom is storage.
The stairs we have to climb to get to our home...scary in the winter I bet!
The eat-in kitchen with a lovely big ceramic sink.
So cool..now whee do I find an ironing board cover that will fit on this? I'm going to have to ask a favour of my aunt who can sew anything!
The enclosed veranda.
Living room
Bathroom with laundry.
This was the fastest and easiest move in ever. We had 5 bags, two bikes and 3 boxes of toys. The place was fully furnished, so we didn't have anything heavy to lug up those stairs, and here are dishes and towels and blankets already here for us. We finished by 11:30am on Friday and were having beers at noon! So easy :)
Wednesday, 29 June 2016
Is childcare really $7.00/day?
We hear a lot in BC about Quebec's $7.00/day daycare, but many people don't understand how it works. How can someone possible run a child care centre on $7/day per child??! Who covers the rest?
According to the Government of Quebec Website:
"The reduced-contribution program was implemented for children who are under five years of age. It enables the parents to have access to childcare services in return for a daily reduced contribution which includes a basic contribution of $7.55 and, if applicable, an additional parental contribution varying according to the family income.
Modulation of the parental contribution
Since April 22, 2015, an additional contribution applies to parents required to pay the basic contribution ($7.55 per day, per child) and whose family income exceeds $50,545.
Families (including blended families) with 3 or more children who frequent, during a same year, one or more than one subsidized childcare service for which they are required to pay the base contribution, will pay an additional contribution for 2 children only."
According to the Government of Quebec Website:
"The reduced-contribution program was implemented for children who are under five years of age. It enables the parents to have access to childcare services in return for a daily reduced contribution which includes a basic contribution of $7.55 and, if applicable, an additional parental contribution varying according to the family income.
Modulation of the parental contribution
Since April 22, 2015, an additional contribution applies to parents required to pay the basic contribution ($7.55 per day, per child) and whose family income exceeds $50,545.
For families with a family income exceeding $50,545 and not above $75,820, the daily contribution per child will increase from $7.55 to $8.25. For families with a family income exceeding $75,820, the daily rate per child is set at an amount established according to a progressive modulation to reach a maximum amount of $20.70 for a family income of $158,820 or higher.
This additional contribution is paid to Revenu Québec when the tax return is filed. To facilitate payment, the parents who want it can request that their employers increase their payroll deductions accordingly. The additional contribution is added to the basic contribution which remains payable directly to the subsidized childcare service.
Beneficiaries of subsidized childcare services (early childhood centres, daycares or managers of childcare services in a family environment), will give the RL-30 slip to parents required to pay the basic contribution. The slip will be given to them at the latest on February 29 and will enable them to determine the additional contribution payable on their income tax return.
The basic contribution and the additional contribution will be indexed annually, effective January 1, 2016.
Parents who are beneficiaries of the Social Assistance Program or the Social Solidarity Program are eligible for the exemption from payment of the reduced contribution.
The reduced-contribution places are provided by childcare centres, subsidized day-care centres and subsidized home childcare providers.
Families (including blended families) with 3 or more children who frequent, during a same year, one or more than one subsidized childcare service for which they are required to pay the base contribution, will pay an additional contribution for 2 children only."
In order to qualify for the reduced contribution space, you have to:
- be a Canadian citizen;
- be a permanent resident;
- be staying in Québec for work purposes and hold a work permit;
- be a foreign student who holds a certificate of acceptance and receives a scholarship granted by the goverment of Québec pursuant to the policy applying to foreign students in Québec colleges and universities;
- be authorized to stay in Québec under the immigration laws.
There is an online tool here: http://www.budget.finances.gouv.qc.ca/budget/outils/garde-net-en.asp to help parents calculate their estimated cost of child care.
The $7/day child care program sounds fantastic, but there are just not enough spaces to meet the demand. Many parents are left having to delay their return to work, or choosing to send their child to a private daycare where they will end up paying $40/day.
And who pays the balance? Well...Quebec's income taxes are the highest in all of Canada. See here: http://www.taxtips.ca/taxrates/taxcomparison/tax-comparison-2015.htm
Hopefully we don't have to wait too long to find a space...and luckily we are flexible with days and hours.
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