Page 3 of 8 Mar 1980 Issue of Medicine Hat News in Medicine-Hat, Alberta

Medicine Hat News March 8, 1980 Page 3 old newspaper archives

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Medicine Hat News (Newspaper) - March 8, 1980, Medicine Hat, Alberta City Day care faces Uncertain future this is the first of a two part series on Day care Peter Robb of the news nagging problems and an Uncertain future Are creating difficulties for Medicine hats Day care system. The system which is considered one of the provinces Best by Many including Howard Clifford National Day care consultant with health and welfare Canada is under pressure caused by new provincial regulations governing standards and fees. These have been in effect for the past year and their Impact is being Felt by the reduced number of Middle ass wanting to use the system. A a we have had More openings during the past year than any other time during the entire history of Day care in the City and this is due to the increases in fees. All of the centres Are experiencing openings a said Susan Costea Day care coordinator. Under the guidelines set Down by the province in 1978, maximum fees were increased from $160 to $220. The fees will Rise again april 1. The amount paid is determined by the salary made by the Parent. This increase has not stopped people near the poverty line from using the system but it has hit Middle and upper Middle class users. A Well Over 80 per cent of the children using the program Are coming from welfare working class or single Parent backgrounds a says Marj Newton former chairman of the Day care advisory Board and a user of Day care herself. The drop off in Middle class users causes two problems one for the kids and one for administrators. Ideally every Day care system attempts to obtain a mixture of children from different social and economic backgrounds. This according to Gifford allows the children to develop important social skills. If the mix Isnit there and the children Are with others of their own background there is a possibility they will not be Able to break out of the stereotypes of a welfare or single Parent background potentially stunting the development of their personalities Clifford said. The problem for administrators is a More general one. If people Aren t using the system because the Cost is stopping them then it becomes difficult for the administrator to plan for the Quality of the system. A1 Hagan Community services director is concerned by this problem because of growth projections for the City. A we know the need will be there in areas such As South Ridge but we still have to reconcile that with the methods of funding and the rules of the game set Down by the province a a he said. This causes uncertainty and that troubles local Public servants such As Bob Wanner social planning director with the City. His department oversees the Day care program in the City. Wanner says the province has made Day care a product. Like any other product in the Market place it is subject to the Choice of the user the parents. A the parents can then pick whatever form of child care they want to use. That makes it difficult to plan a Quality program. A we have a Good system established Here but lately we be become very concerned about the future of that program a Wanner added. The establishment of the sliding fee schedule based on salary is the first step towards the elimination of the present system of funding Day care in Alberta. In an Effort to make Day care a self sufficient the province is phasing out the deficit Cost sharing arrangement now in Force. Catherine Arthur executive assistant to social services minister Bob Bogle said this system will be eliminated by 1963. The present arrangement is for the province to pay 80 per cent of the deficit faced by the City a system. The City makes up the other 20 per cent. With the change the charge for Day care will be attached to the Parent. Depending on their salary the province will pay 80 per cent of the difference Between the fee the Parent pays and the full fee of $220. The City will pick up the rest of the shortfall. The problem with this change. Wanner says is that it prevents the local agencies from knowing exactly How much Revenue will becoming in. That compounds the planning problem. Aid. Graham Kelly chairman of councils Community services committee says this change May mean the City will have to take a More Active role in funding Day care. A the province has established a situation which May prove More favourable to private Day care. If this continues it could mean municipal Day care is in danger of going out of business. If that happens the Over All Quality of Day care will go Down. I feel the City will have to resist this trend for the Good of the kids a he said. In addition to establishing new fee schedules and developing a new funding system the province also established minimum standards to govern the care each child receives in a Centre. Arthur said before these standards were established Day care in the province differed from City to City and Centre to Centre. Administrators Are Happy that the move towards standardization has taken place but they Are upset about the standards themselves. A the Alberta standards Are the lowest in the country a said Andrea Dinsmore coordinator of the Early childhood development program at Medicine hat College. Many of the workers employed in City a Day care program have graduated from Dinsmore a program at the College. Clifford echoed Dinsmore a sentiment saying the staff child ratio in Alberta is the worst in the country. At present the staff it Hild ratio is broken into categories based on the age of the child. There is one staff person for six infants up to 18-months-old. For mixed age groupings above 18-months there is one staff worker for a group of 13. A can you imagine what it is like to take care of six babies not toilet trained for eight hours a Day the working Day for a full time Day care employee in the City a asked. The workers themselves would like to these ratios reduced because they Are limited with what they can do for the children. A a one to eight ratio for a family group mixed Ages above 18-months would be Ideal and a one to 10 ratio would be reasonable a said Sheila Beres an employee at the Veiner Day care Centre. Day care is not a a glorified baby sitting services Dinsmore said pointing out that children at the age of two have attained 50 per cent of both their learning capacity and their adult personality. A ideally Day care should provide a program which attempts to help a child a development. It should not attempt to take the place of the Parent but it should supplement Home life a said. This is difficult to do said if there Arentt enough staff available to develop these programs fully. Staffing standards Arentt the Only ones concerning Dinsmore. She says that the provincial regulations Are not specific enough to allow leeway in crucial areas. A for example the regulations include a stipulation that balanced meals and snacks of adequate Quality and Quantity be provided for the child. Who decides what is adequate Quality or Quantity a Arthur says the province is aware of difficulties in the regulations pointing to the recently completed six person caucus committee review of the provincial system headed by these toddlers Are engaging in some fun with Macaroni at the Medicine hat Day care Centre. A news photo Daniel Lander or. Charles Anderson St. Paul la As proof of government sensitivity. A when the regulations were established the minister promised they would be reviewed on a regular and continuing basis. And we Are doing that. I be surprised if there was some Quick action taken on the Anderson report a said adding expected action within a month. Arthur said however changes to the regulations May be difficult because of pressure from taxpayers and private Day care owners who a Are telling us to keep out of Day care. Hagan said he agreed with the idea to set up minimum standards but a there Are a lot of issues springing up out of the standards the province has set Wanner says he is optimistic about the governments reaction to inequalities created by the provincial standards. A a in a hopeful that Promise that standards Are not written in Stone May mean changes for the better. I like to be optimistic the government will the inequalities a he said. Wanner Saji i the standards established coupled with the funding changes have hampered the ability of cities to make decisions on a what kind of Day care is needed locally. A a that flexibility should be there but it Isnit a he said. This May Stem from an attitude problem towards Day care in Alberta. Kelly sees the governments attitude As one of a living in the 19th he says they have failed to recognize changes that have occurred in our society during the past 20 years. A in Many ways the government has a strange attitude towards Day care a Dinsmore said. A a they Are funding child development programs such As Early childhood services but in terms of Day care which has As much Impact on a child a development they want to make Day care self sufficient. A the problem now is that government and the taxpayers Are finding out How expensive it is to take care of a child and they Are not willing to pay a added. These problems and worries have prompted local action in the form of the recently formed Day care task Force. This seven person body will be looking at what role the City should play in the future development of Day care in Medicine hat. The recommendations made by this group and the ensuing decisions by City Council will affect the children who fill the 201 Day care spaces provided in the City a five centres. There Are also 13,000 Day care spaces across the province. The provincial regulations Are affecting these children daily. A these Are our future citizens a one City Day care worker said a they should be Given a fighting Chance a adjudicator says a actors needed editing captive trophy a handcuffed to a Broomall trophy a Wilson right of the fire department Leeps a watchful Eye on City police Constable Lance Mayer. The trophy was Tolen the night of the 10th annual Broomall Ganne and held for Ransom until each department donated $100 to the muscular dystrophy association. The firefighters beat the police five to one in the match. A news photo Daniel Lander in provincial court City Man jailed after Brawl James t. Mckinley 21, was sentenced in provincial court Friday to 60 Days in jail after pleading guilty to assaulting a police officer. The defendant and his 17-year-old brother Shawn t. Mckinley both of 51 red Deer dr., were involved in a Drunken disturb fince feb. 2 about 12 45 . When City police were called to a Medicine hat hotel. Crown prosecutor Dai win Greaves said. Constable Robert Ross arrived at the hotel and found about 20 persons fighting. He subdued some if the individuals in the crowd before James t. Mckinley wrestled him to the ground. Judge Philip Wambolt was told Constable Ross received several kicks while on the ground from members in the crowd before Constable Mick Nieman arrived and helped roes. Court was told the crowd jostled Neiman while he tried to reach his fellow officer through the tangle of fights. Crown prosecutor Greaves said the two officers managed to control James Mckinley and were escorting him to the patrol car when Shawn Mckinley obstructed the officers. James Mckinley again wrestled Ross after someone in the crowd knocked the Constable to the ground. Greaves said a James started flailing away at the upper Torso of Ross who called Nieman for help. Neiman released Shawn and made his Way through the hostile crowd. After Neiman was kicked by one of the crowd the Constable Drew his flashlight and hit James with a backhanded str de to the Side of the head sending him to the ground. The crowd retreated after being warned by Neiman who was still carrying the flashlight. Detective Hugh Orr arrived and assisted the two constables in placing the two Brothers in the patrol car. Crown prosecutor Greaves said the officers did not receive serious injuries Only bruises and swelling. A i feel embarrassment for my Community and feel for the emotions of the police officers who confronted a despicable reprehensible and criminal crowd and survived a Greaves said. Quot Constable neimans use of the flashlight does not come remotely close to excessive Force. I Only regret those idiots in the crowd Are not known and Are not before the court. The Story of feb 2 is Only partly told a Greaves said. Judge Wambolt said a Constable Neiman needs to be commended not condemned for his actions. A for the past couple of years we have seen Many of these offences and they Are getting worse. Time has come for a Strong deterrent to teach these imbeciles in the crowd that vengence against the police and other authorities will not be tolerated. Booze is not an excuse for acting like animals a judge Wambolt told the court. Greaves said James t. Mckinley was fined $350 for exceeding .08 and received a suspended sentence and one years probation for wilful damage sept. 29,1978. He was fined $300 for causing a disturbance oct. 25,1979. Shawn t. Mckinley was fined $200 for theft under $200 dec. 20,1978 and $50 for being a minor obtaining liquor june 15, 1979. Shawn Mckinley was fined $500 for obstructing a police officer and $100 for being a minor obtaining liquor after he pleaded guilty to the two charges Friday. Sara Jones of the news the provincial one act festival opened Friday at Medicine hat College theatre with remark is from culture minister Mary Lemessurier to a Large and enthusiastic audience. Lemessurier congratulated the organizers and entrants in the festival and commended them for their a Strong interest and admirable dedication to the performing arts in the province. And adjudicators Dorothy Jones and Sharon Pollock echoed her sentiments in announcing their pleasure in being in Medicine hat. Jones and Pollock made their remarks on the first four entries in the festival which played Friday. The evening began with actors Medicine hats entry starring Lee Durkin and Peter Condon and directed by Wayne Craven. The two men played a pair of actors relaxing with a game of chess after an unnerving rehearsal. Condon attempts to show Durkin a few of the theatrical ropes and help him with his career. They argue and reconcile but Durkin is fired from his first big play. Pollock delivered the adjudication for the play and made the preliminary comment that would have edited the script. She considered the set too Large and said it had not been used to full advantage which in turn created a Lack of interaction Between the actors. Both Jones and Pollock remarked that the actors replaced emotional intensity with volume in their delivery. Pollock concluded her judgment by saying was pleased with their concentration but a that there could have been so much More the next play was Calgary a contribution. The human voice directed by David Lockhart and featuring Celine Doublet Lockhart. The play is a monologue of a distraught and suicidal woman a Telephone conversation with her Lover who has just left her for another woman. Jones praised Doublet Lockhart As a an extremely talented woman with a challenging and difficult task of making the Long conversation believable. She Felt the acting did not elicit the necessary compassion from the audience and thought there should have been greater variety of Pace and intensity. The Man in the Bowler hat was presented by a team of seven actors from High River. It is really a play within a play As husband and wife longing for some excitement in their lives Are surrounded by High melodrama and suspense during a theatrical rehearsal Jones described the play As having a a very English style and said it was to the credit of the director that the attempt had been made to retain that style. She praised Hazel Parker for her a a absolutely delightful performance As Mary but Felt the actors movements were not always distinct and they were not allowing time for the laughter of the audience to die Down before delivering their lines. The final play was the entry from Drumheller the big Black Box. Directed by Ann Wilton it starred Jay Smith As the Box and Sean Smith As Arnold. Arnold encounters a talking Box one Day on his Way to the bus Stop. After losing and regaining most of his worldly goods he is finally consumed by it. Pollock a remarks about the play were positive. She a liked it quite a lot a called it a a Nice Little play a and said a the Box was praised the clean direction but cautioned against a Lack of tension which appeared late in the play. She questioned the Choice of costume and considered the set too Large but ended her remarks by calling it a a wonderful end to an enjoyable the festival continues tonight at 7 30 , with entries from Camrose red Deer and Grande Prairie four outstanding achievement prizes will be awarded by Pollock and Jones at the end of the adjudication. A Fly Mirical a wiring needs a trenching the Light gallery fixture showcase features an sex j Cellenti selection. 1201 King Sway Coll 527-495 the school act 1970 Section 6 notice of Public meeting Medicine hat school division no. 4 i a Public meeting of the electors of the Medicine hat school division no. 4 will be held As indicated i below i place room Quot a Quot of the Medicine hat Public Library 414-first Street . Medicine hat Alberta Date March 24,1980 i time 2 00 . Reports for the year 1979 will be presented and discussed. Dennis m. Most Secretary treasurer Medicine hat school division no. 4 147 a 6 Street . Mai Lino hat Alberto Sunmi shoppers drug Mart is open sundays from 12 noon to g . Medicine hat Mali

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