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The State of Childcare Advocacy in Canada. Brooke Richardson Ph.D. Candidate, Policy Studies Ryerson University. Research Team. Investigating Professionalism as a Canadian Child Care Movement Strategy in an Era of Neoliberalism Current researcher team:
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The State of Childcare Advocacy in Canada Brooke Richardson Ph.D. Candidate, Policy Studies Ryerson University
Research Team • Investigating Professionalism as a Canadian Child Care Movement Strategy in an Era of Neoliberalism • Current researcher team: • Dr.Rachel Langford, Ryerson University • Dr. Patrizia Albanese, Ryerson University • Dr. Susan Prentice, University of Manitoba • Brooke Richardson, Ph.D., student, Ryerson University • Lyndsay Macdonald, M.A. student, Ryerson University • Ellisha Blair, Undergraduate student, Ryerson University
Outline of Presentation • Define social movements and social movement organizations (SMO) • Review the current state of childcare SMOs in Canada • Identify the key childcare advocacy players over time • Describe current research projects
Defining a “social movement” • “Collectives acting with some degree of organization and continuity outside of institutional or organizational channels for the purpose of challenging or defending extant authority, whether it is institutionally or culturally based, in the group, organization society, culture, or world order of which they are a part” (Snow et al, 2007, p.11)
European conceptualization of Social Movements • “Social movements are a distinct social process, consisting of the mechanisms through which actors engage in collective action” (dellaPorta & Diani, p.20).
Social Movement Organizations (SMOs) • Professional • Grassroots • Child Care Resource and Research Unit? • Child Care Human Resource Sector Council?
“Smoke and mirrors” • Childcare SMOs have faced extreme defunding and deprofessionalization since 2006 • Number of employees in national SMOs over time
Not all doom and gloom… • ECEBC and CCABC partnered for the $10/day program in BC which appears to be putting childcare back onto the political agenda in BC • Most provinces now have FDK • Quebec’s $7/day program
Current Research Project • Policy Frames • Contentious politics • Collective Identity • Childcare through a gendered lens
Conclusion • Although this is certainly a very challenging time for the national childcare movement, the movement is still alive • Provinces have taken significant strides in this arena • We can talk this afternoon about how to reignite or reenergize the movement