2 Child<strong>care</strong>TODAY • SUMMER/BACK TO SCHOOL 2012
Ontario’s Child<strong>care</strong> Industryco-presidenTS' MESSAGEBy: Kim Yeaman & Wendy MarshallKEEP CALM AND CARRY ONOne of the best th<strong>in</strong>gs aboutwork<strong>in</strong>g with <strong>child</strong>ren andfamilies every day is howit helps you ma<strong>in</strong>ta<strong>in</strong> your perspectiveabout what is truly important <strong>in</strong>life. No matter how tough th<strong>in</strong>gs are,a few m<strong>in</strong>utes play<strong>in</strong>g alongside the<strong>child</strong>ren makes all of the stress meltaway and gives you the motivationand encouragement you need tokeep go<strong>in</strong>g even when the go<strong>in</strong>g getstough. Work<strong>in</strong>g with ADCO membersthis summer, we have been humbledby their tremendous <strong>in</strong>ner strengthand the many ways they’re cop<strong>in</strong>gwith the rapid roll-out of the Prov<strong>in</strong>cialgovernment’s Early Learn<strong>in</strong>g Program(ELP). There are many valuablelife lessons <strong>in</strong> what we’ve observed.Almost every <strong>in</strong>dependent licensed<strong>child</strong> <strong>care</strong> program has facedsome k<strong>in</strong>d of challenge as a result ofthe ELP. For some owner/operatorsthese challenges have been <strong>in</strong>surmountable.The f<strong>in</strong>ancial viabilityof their programs has been underm<strong>in</strong>edby such an extent they’vehad no choice but to close theirdoors. Others have made the choiceto sell their operations to larger companies,as a means of cont<strong>in</strong>u<strong>in</strong>g toserve the families that have come torely on them every day. Still othershave shelved expansion plans, orsought to limit their vulnerability tofurther government policy changesby reduc<strong>in</strong>g the number of familiesthey serve who are <strong>in</strong> receipt of feesubsidy. These are just some of theun<strong>in</strong>tended consequences of theProv<strong>in</strong>ce’s current policy direction.Others <strong>in</strong>clude the rapid expansionof some of Ontario’s largest<strong>child</strong> <strong>care</strong> companies, primarilythrough the acquisition of struggl<strong>in</strong>gcentres that have been negativelyaffected by the ELP. Yet, with<strong>in</strong> theADCO membership, there are ahandful of smaller programs thathave gone from be<strong>in</strong>g s<strong>in</strong>gle-siteoperations to hav<strong>in</strong>g three or morecentres <strong>in</strong> less than two years. Inobserv<strong>in</strong>g and work<strong>in</strong>g with thesemembers, it’s clear that their successisn’t just a matter of location or accessto capital, although both play arole. What these programs have <strong>in</strong>common with one another is thattheir owner/operators have adoptedfive specific behaviors. They can besummed up as follows: They stay focused on do<strong>in</strong>gwhat they can to meet the currentand future needs of families<strong>in</strong> the areas they serve, alwayslook<strong>in</strong>g <strong>for</strong> new opportunitiesto expand their relationshipswith their exist<strong>in</strong>g clients andto expand their service area.; They stay connected with other<strong>child</strong> <strong>care</strong> owner/operators <strong>for</strong>encouragement and support,and to better understand anytrends that may be emerg<strong>in</strong>g<strong>in</strong> their areas or <strong>in</strong> the licensed<strong>child</strong> <strong>care</strong> sector as a whole. They make it a po<strong>in</strong>t to allocatea portion of each day to work<strong>in</strong>gon their programs, ratherthan <strong>in</strong> them, mak<strong>in</strong>g theircentre’s growth potential theirtop priority. They ma<strong>in</strong>ta<strong>in</strong> ongo<strong>in</strong>g contactwith their MPs, MPPs and municipalcouncilors, advocat<strong>in</strong>gstrongly on behalf of the familiesthey serve, sometimes evenmobiliz<strong>in</strong>g the families themselves. They don’t take the actions ofgovernment personally.Membership <strong>in</strong> ADCO offers licensed<strong>child</strong> <strong>care</strong> owner/operators,both commercial and non-profit, avariety of resources to help them followthis powerful example. Thanks toa keynote address by futurist and authorRichard Worzel, the ADCO FallConference scheduled <strong>for</strong> Friday, November2 will offer ADCO membersthe opportunity to deepen their understand<strong>in</strong>gof the trends that will affectthe families they serve. This sameevent will also give ADCO membersan important chance to connect withtheir peers from across the prov<strong>in</strong>ce.Membership <strong>in</strong> ADCO also providesyou with many other peer supportand mentor<strong>in</strong>g opportunities. Ifyour program is ever struggl<strong>in</strong>g withan issue or challenge and you aren’tsure where to turn, we <strong>in</strong>vite you tocall the ADCO member <strong>care</strong> centre at1-800-567-7075. In addition to seek<strong>in</strong>gout documents, professional contactsor other <strong>in</strong><strong>for</strong>mation that maybe of help to you, ADCO’s member<strong>care</strong> team may be able to put you <strong>in</strong>touch with another ADCO memberwho has faced a similar challengewho is will<strong>in</strong>g to offer you additional<strong>in</strong>sight and advice. Alternatively, youcan post your question or concern <strong>in</strong>the “members only” discussion areaon ADCO’s web site <strong>for</strong> a responsefrom other discussion area users.Additionally, ADCO develops anddelivers a variety of pr<strong>in</strong>t and onl<strong>in</strong>eCo-President’s Message cont<strong>in</strong>ued on next pageSUMMER/BACK TO SCHOOL 2012 • Child<strong>care</strong>TODAY 3
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