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The Honourable David Eggen, Minister of Education: Program Unit Funding (PUF) needs to be restructured
Corinne T.
started this petition to
The Honourable David Eggen, Minister of Education
Do you know a child living in Alberta with a speech and/or language delay? With Autism? A global developmental delay? Behavioral challenges? Down's Syndrome? Cerebral Palsy? If so, that child is likely receiving Program Unit Funding (PUF).
Like so many children, our four year old daughter has trouble communicating with her peers because of a speech delay. In Alberta, children with disabilities/delays who require extra support in regular Early Childhood Services (ECS) programs, such as preschool, are eligible for Program Unit Funding (PUF). The government provides the funding directly to approved Early Childhood Services (ECS) operators. Under the existing system, families are forced to choose between plans (and rules) set out by these operators. What happens when no single plan (operator) fits the needs of a family? Perhaps parts of several plans (offered by different operators) would be a better fit? It means families are forced to compromise and work within a structure that is not in their child's best interest or their families' values. Parents are forced to pay for added private therapy out of pocket. In our case costing $130/hour. Parents need direct access to their child's funding and not be restricted by the regulations set out by individual ECS operators.
Challenges facing families under the existing system:
- family values not being included in plans
(eg. forced exclusion of parents from sessions due to aides wishing to work independently rather than have parents present)
- families being forced to work with inexperienced aides rather than therapists with specialized education
- high turnover and shortage of aides leading to service interruptions and inconsistency for the child
- identified child clinical needs not supported by ECS operators'
schedules (eg. speech therapists recommending short frequent sessions but operators not offering that option)
- operator/aides not supporting parents presence in the preschool class despite having the support of the preschool teacher (it is discrimination to mandate a 3 year old delayed child be separated from his parent in preschool as a prerequisite to receiving PUF. The government does not mandate all 3 year old children across the province attend preschool without a
parent)
- parents being forced to enrol their child in a community preschool that is not their first choice as not all operators are willing to work in every preschool
- operators offering families differing amounts of therapy hours
- time required to research plans offered by many different operators
- children with speech delays are forced to participate in group speech therapy when 1:1 sessions are required because of the child's skill level
- parents being forced to pay for added therapy out of pocket due
to shortfall in individual agencies
Recommendations:
Let parents choose the parts of each plan that work best for their family by amalgamating or eliminating ECS operators and having parents deal directly with the province who could manage a centralized system. Parents could set up their own plan and pick and choose which type of therapist/aide they wish to work with and at what frequency they wish to be seen. Receipts could be provided as validation. Another option is giving families the choice of working with an operator or functioning privately and setting up their own team of therapists and aides (submitting receipts) which would be modelled after the Family Support for Children with Disabilities (FSCD) Program. Parents need to be able to access their child's funding and not be restricted by the regulations set out by individual ECS operators.
We thank the government for its funding and effort. We know decisions made regarding Alberta's children are of the utmost concern to your provincial government. However right now our children are suffering needlessly under an outdated program model that needs to be updated to ensure our children get the best possible education available. We, the undersigned, residents of Alberta, Canada are concerned citizens who urge the Minister of Education to act now before thousands of disabled/delayed preschool children start class in September. Thank you for giving this matter the immediate attention it and our children deserve.
Like so many children, our four year old daughter has trouble communicating with her peers because of a speech delay. In Alberta, children with disabilities/delays who require extra support in regular Early Childhood Services (ECS) programs, such as preschool, are eligible for Program Unit Funding (PUF). The government provides the funding directly to approved Early Childhood Services (ECS) operators. Under the existing system, families are forced to choose between plans (and rules) set out by these operators. What happens when no single plan (operator) fits the needs of a family? Perhaps parts of several plans (offered by different operators) would be a better fit? It means families are forced to compromise and work within a structure that is not in their child's best interest or their families' values. Parents are forced to pay for added private therapy out of pocket. In our case costing $130/hour. Parents need direct access to their child's funding and not be restricted by the regulations set out by individual ECS operators.
Challenges facing families under the existing system:
- family values not being included in plans
(eg. forced exclusion of parents from sessions due to aides wishing to work independently rather than have parents present)
- families being forced to work with inexperienced aides rather than therapists with specialized education
- high turnover and shortage of aides leading to service interruptions and inconsistency for the child
- identified child clinical needs not supported by ECS operators'
schedules (eg. speech therapists recommending short frequent sessions but operators not offering that option)
- operator/aides not supporting parents presence in the preschool class despite having the support of the preschool teacher (it is discrimination to mandate a 3 year old delayed child be separated from his parent in preschool as a prerequisite to receiving PUF. The government does not mandate all 3 year old children across the province attend preschool without a
parent)
- parents being forced to enrol their child in a community preschool that is not their first choice as not all operators are willing to work in every preschool
- operators offering families differing amounts of therapy hours
- time required to research plans offered by many different operators
- children with speech delays are forced to participate in group speech therapy when 1:1 sessions are required because of the child's skill level
- parents being forced to pay for added therapy out of pocket due
to shortfall in individual agencies
Recommendations:
Let parents choose the parts of each plan that work best for their family by amalgamating or eliminating ECS operators and having parents deal directly with the province who could manage a centralized system. Parents could set up their own plan and pick and choose which type of therapist/aide they wish to work with and at what frequency they wish to be seen. Receipts could be provided as validation. Another option is giving families the choice of working with an operator or functioning privately and setting up their own team of therapists and aides (submitting receipts) which would be modelled after the Family Support for Children with Disabilities (FSCD) Program. Parents need to be able to access their child's funding and not be restricted by the regulations set out by individual ECS operators.
We thank the government for its funding and effort. We know decisions made regarding Alberta's children are of the utmost concern to your provincial government. However right now our children are suffering needlessly under an outdated program model that needs to be updated to ensure our children get the best possible education available. We, the undersigned, residents of Alberta, Canada are concerned citizens who urge the Minister of Education to act now before thousands of disabled/delayed preschool children start class in September. Thank you for giving this matter the immediate attention it and our children deserve.
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