Click on read more below to read our full International Women's Day message.
International Women's Day is an important day for the child care movement, as women and gender-diverse folks make up about 95% of the early childhood education and care workforce. Women are also disproportionately affected by the lack of adequate child care services.
The early learning and child care community is particularly impacted by the dominant patriarchal narratives that devalue care work and result in systemic inequities. Women's organizations, child care advocates, policy experts and organizations like the International Labour Organization and the United Nations have continuously called for investment in child care to close the gender wage gap.
There is no equality without child care and there is no child care without early childhood educators and child care workers. By educating and caring for young children, YOU provide an essential service for your communities and for society as a whole. By being competent, caring and passionate professionals, YOU are actively working towards a better world. The early years and child care workforce is key to closing the gender wage gap and building a better, more just world.
International Women's Day is a day to celebrate and recognize women and gender-diverse folks. It's a day for us to lift each other up and support one another. As the professional association for ECEs in Ontario, we hope to celebrate and support the Ontario early learning community every day by working towards the transformative change ECEs, children, families and communities need to thrive.
Together, we are stronger. Happy International Women's Day!
Thank you to everyone who joined the AECEO, the OCBCC and CUPE 2484 the childcare brigade at last weekend's International Women's Day March in Toronto. Check out this video from last Saturday's rally, march and family-friendly sign making social. Thanks to Shemar King-Huggart, placement student at the OCBCC, for the photos and video. Watch it here!
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