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7.1 Overview

This section of the report addresses the following two questions: What is the capacity to provide inclusive child care through SCC? How has accessibility to inclusive child care been impacted?

This section addresses the question regarding capacity by looking at the increased skills, attitudes and knowledge of the child care providers and how this impacts their ability to provide inclusive child care. Accessibility is addressed through the satisfaction of parents with the ability of child care settings to meet the physical needs of children requiring extra support. As well, the materials produced to address the area of accessibility are described.

7.2 Capacity

The Final Report: Experiences and Satisfaction with SCC in Four BC Communities (Focus Consultants, March 1999) identified that 92% of parents and 83% of allied professionals rated the attitude of child care providers towards inclusion of children requiring extra support positively.⁶⁸ The data from the report supports this increased capacity to provide inclusive child care.⁶⁹ It shows that the mean rating of parents regarding the attitude of child care providers toward the inclusion of children who require extra support was 4.6 on a 5 point scale (1 = very negative; 5 = very positive). Child care providers, when asked about their confidence about being able to include children requiring extra support, had a mean rating of 4.3 on a 5 point scale.

As well, there has been movement in the definition of, and support for the SCC consultant position, that has evolved over the past four years. Through the definition of functions, activities, and performance indicators in the Infant Development/SCC Consultants Framework of Professional Practice a picture emerges of how the child care sector and families can be supported.⁷⁰ The Final Report: Experiences and Satisfaction with SCC in Four BC Communities (Focus Consultants, March 1999) stated that across the four communities surveyed, there was consensus by the three sets of respondents, that child care plans were being well developed and that the plans were meeting some or all of their child's needs.⁷¹ This level of support to the child care provider facilitates positive attitudes towards inclusion, as well as a means to provide inclusive child care. As well, through increased training opportunities in SCC, child care providers have accessed the necessary skills to provide inclusive child care.

7.3 Accessibility

In terms of how accessibility to inclusive child care has been impacted, the Final Report: Experiences and Satisfaction with SCC in Four BC Communities (Focus Consultants, March 1999) addressed the issues of the suitability of activities and the safety of environments for children requiring extra support. Ninety-three percent of parents felt that the types of activities provided in the child care setting were suited to their child's age and level of development.⁷² Over 80% of families stated they did not have problems ensuring a safe environment for their children requiring extra support in child care settings.⁷³

The Enhancing Accessibility Resource Manual was developed to assist community Steering Committees and the child care sector in making informed decisions about changes that may be needed in child care settings in order to make them accessible for children requiring extra support. Eighty per cent found the manual to be helpful or somewhat helpful.

The Access Initiative allocated funds to each SCC Steering Committee. This was to be used to develop a community access plan and to address identified needs in the area of attitudes, skills and knowledge.⁷⁴ Once committees had assessed people (focusing on attitudes, skills and knowledge), programming and physical needs for their community-based settings, then they could develop a Community Access Plan. Priorization sheets were then categorized into "no cost", "low cost", "moderate cost" and "high cost" solutions. The following are some of the ideas and projects generated through these funds that have an impact on accessibility:

• production of TV ads for inclusive child care
• workshop offerings on inclusive child care practices
• provision of interest-free loans for the purchase of equipment and materials for structural renovations
• purchase of a portable wheelchair ramp
• installation of handrails in bathrooms
• development of support groups, brochures and service directory to inform and empower families
• development and distribution of kits explaining how to make low/no cost changes to child care environments
• building change tables and other adapted furniture required by some child care settings

7.4 Summary

The capacity to provide inclusive child care through SCC has been facilitated through increased training opportunities for child care providers. Also, additional support into the child care settings, such as SCC consultants, assists child care providers to provide an inclusive child care environment. These opportunities have impacted on the attitudes, skills, and knowledge of child care providers and their capacity to provide inclusive child care. This has increased the accessibility to inclusive child care which is evident through the parents' satisfaction with the activities planned for their children. In addition, parents feel that the child care settings are a safe environment for their children requiring extra support. Materials such as the Enhancing Accessibility Resource Manual have provided valuable information on making child care settings more accessible. The Access Initiative generated ideas and products directly related to accessibility in child care.

Footnotes

68	Province of British Columbia, Ministry for Children and Families. Final Report: Experiences and Satisfaction with SCC in Four B.C. Communities. p. 52. Focus Consultants. Victoria, B.C., March, 1999.
69	Province of British Columbia, Ministry for Children and Families. Final Report: Experiences and Satisfaction with SCC in Four B.C. Communities. Focus Consultants. Victoria, B.C., March, 1999.
70	Province of British Columbia, Ministry of Advanced Education, Training and Technology, Centre for Curriculum, Transfer and Technology, Infant Development and SCC Consultants Framework of Professional Practice. Victoria, B.C. August, 1998.
71	Province of British Columbia, Ministry for Children and Families. Final Report: Experiences and Satisfaction with SCC in Four B.C. Communities. p. 51. Focus Consultants. Victoria, B.C., March, 1999.
72	Province of British Columbia, Ministry for Children and Families. Final Report: Experiences and Satisfaction with SCC in Four B.C. Communities. p. 51. Focus Consultants. Victoria, B.C., March, 1999.
73	Province of British Columbia, Ministry for Children and Families. Final Report: Experiences and Satisfaction with SCC in Four B.C. Communities. p. 51. Focus Consultants. Victoria, B.C., March, 1999.
74	Province of British Columbia, Ministry for Children and Families. Supported Child Care: Draft Access Initiative Progress Report. p. 3. Carol Ann Young and Associates. Victoria, B.C. July, 1998.