Media Advisory: Child care workers ask for parents' support for improving services at YMCA-YWCA centres in Ottawa

OTTAWA, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - June 14, 2016) - Today child care workers from three YMCA-YWCA centres in the National Capital Region will take to the streets in a bid for support from parents and families for better and improved services for children.

Early Childhood Educators (ECEs) and Educational Assistants hope to work with YMCA-YWCA to tackle high staff turnover at the centres and improve the agency's capacity to recruit and retain skilled staff - issues that will concern parents and families because of the way they affect the quality of children's care.

ECEs and EAs at Taggart Family Y, Ruddy Family Y and Avalon Public School are represented by Local 2204 of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE).

"Our colleagues at Ottawa's Ys care deeply about the children they care for. But it's hard for them to provide the best quality care when poor working conditions contribute to poor continuity of care for young children," said Athina Basiliadis, president of CUPE 2204.

"We hope parents and families will urge Ottawa's YMCAs-YWCAs to address the issues that keep our members from delivering the high-quality care that their children deserve."