The Child Care Resources Group (CCRG) is a committee of non-profit child care providers. It’s composed of such front-line agencies as Burnaby Neighbourhood House, Burnaby Family Life, Burnaby Association for Community Inclusion, The Y, and Purpose Society.

It will come as no surprise to hear that quality child care in Burnaby is out of reach of most families and, despite the availability of subsidies for the most vulnerable families, it can still be out of reach for many.

If a parent is off work due to illness or injury, not only do they lose their subsidy, they lose their child care space and go to the bottom of the waiting list! The same thing happens to students when their school is on a break. And that’s just one example of the many cracks in our child care system.

Who plays a major role in ensuring that families don’t fall through those cracks? Early childhood educators. They are unsung heroes in our community. They work long, hard hours with little or no benefits because they are deeply committed to children. They understand that when children learn fundamental life skills at an early age, they have a better chance of growing up to be productive contributors to society.