Support SFU Childcare

Michael Stevenson, President, and
The Board of Governors for
Simon Fraser University

October 3, 2007

Dear President Stevenson and the Board of Governors:

We the undersigned respectfully request that the Board of Governors and administration of Simon Fraser University increase its support of the SFU Child Care Society in this time of crisis. The 67 highly qualified Early Childhood Educators at the SFU Childrens Centre have been on strike since Monday, September 17. Lost benefits and wages lagging behind the cost of living are at issue.

The parents of the SFU Child Care Society comprise faculty, staff and students. They serve thousands of students each week, bring in millions of dollars in research funding, and are societys future leaders and researchers. The University attracts these same people with the promise of quality, on site, and accessible child care and needs the Societys services more than ever. The Society in turn, is facing a crisis in its ability to provide those services.

At this time of renewal at SFU new faculty and staff with young children need and want access to child care on campus; UniverCity needs child care; 2007 saw the largest enrolment ever at SFU, a portion of which needs child care. The University has asked the SFU Child Care Society to provide this care. While increasing need suggests the Society should expand its services, shrinking government funding makes it increasingly difficult for it to maintain financial solvency.

These significant enrolment and financial pressures on the Society have contributed to the crisis we are in today. Forcing fees up only prices the Societys services out of reach for many.

We recognize that the University already provides substantial support for the SFU Child Care Society, including: facilities, salaries of two employees, and bursaries for students. We also recognize that this is a difficult budgetary time for SFU. Nonetheless, parents have suggested ways in which the University might provide assistance, such as: take on our janitorial or utilities costs, provide budgetary administrative support (e.g.: payroll and grant facilitation), provide support for building an endowment, or provide support through lobbying, etc. These are all concrete ways to make the Society more sustainable and fiscally self-reliant in the long run.

While the current University contributions are meaningful and valued, they have not grown in pace with the Societys expansion. We implore you to find a way to implement some of our suggestions and open a constructive dialogue on the Society and SFUs relationship.