INSIDE DOUGLAS COLLEGE /JANUARY 23, 1990

 

 

 

Anne of Green Gables
continued from page 1

 

Technically, the production was
flawless; set changes were efficient,
and the set designs were colorful
and appropriately simple. Dorothy
Jones as Director, with Henry
Waack as Musical Director and
Rosanne Hopkins as Choreog-
rapher, worked together to create a
production that was a reminder of
all the best things about live
theatre; the warmth, the color, the
music, and the kind of rapport and
affection that can spring up be-
tween the performers and the
audience.

It was a great way to spend a
cold January evening. &

 

 

 

 

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ECE instructor researches
employer-supported child care

As the Lower Mainland
economy grows, competitive com-
panies need all the skilled
employees that they can find. One
way to attract and retain skilled
workers is to become involved in
the child care needs of employees,
says Carol Ebner, Early Childhood
Education Instructor at Douglas
College, and Dr. Stephen Bath, Co-
ordinator of Special Projects and
UBC's Child Studies Centre.

Both are participating in a joint
UBC-Douglas College research
project into employer attitudes to
child care. Entitled Employer Sup-
ported Child Care, the project
recently received funding to com-
plete its second phase, an event that
was marked at a wine and cheese
reception last November at the B.C.
Club in Vancouver.

The project money comes from
Health and Welfare Canada’s Child
Care Initiatives Fund, and federal
government representatives at-
tended the reception, as did provin-
cial officials, Douglas College and
UBC officials, and members of the
local business community.

Research indicates that in the
1990's, a major factor in the recruit-
ment and retention of skilled
workers will be the ability of the
private sector to accommodate
work/family issues such as child
care, said Carol Ebner, who is the
project staff researcher and teaches
Early Childhood Education at
Douglas College. "The leading-
edge companies are looking ahead,"
she added. Project manager Dr.
Bath agreed. "Employers are now
realizing that they also have respon-
sibility for the child care needs of
Canadians, and recent research
shows that child care makes good
business sense for employers," he
said.

Some companies have incor-
porated child care into their opera-

tions; one example is Southland
Canada, Inc., which operates the 7-
Eleven chain of convenience stores.
“Employers must take a respon-
sibility — they can’t ignore it," said
Jennifer Parsons, Benefits Ad-
ministrator at Southland. "You’ve
got to be concerned about people’s
families." Addressing the child care
needs of employees can affect ab-
senteeism and morale, she added.

The principal investigators of
the study are John McKendry, Dean
of Applied Programs at Douglas
College, and Glen Dixon, Director
of the Child Studies Centre at UBC.
Also on staff are Research Co-or-
dinator Elva Reid and Project
Secretary Sylvia Mennear.

The co-research project be-
tween UBC and Douglas College is
significant because Douglas is now
the first community college in B.C.
to conduct applied research. This is
also the first time that UBC has
been affiliated with a college for re-
search purposes, an arrangement
that is unusual in Canada.

The arrangement has been ex-
temely valuable to this point. "It
puts the College and UBC in direct
contact with the business com-
munity, which is sometimes dif-
ficult to do,” said Dr. Bath.

The first phase of the project
was the production of a broadcast-
quality video that described
employee’s needs, the benefits of
employer-supported child care to
them and to employers, and child
care assistance options available to
employers. The second phase is the
research component. "We're
hoping that this research will
clarify the extent of employer’s in-
volvement in child care and related
issues," said Carol Ebner. The third
phase will be dissemination of the
research results in the business and
academic communities in British
Columbia and across Canada. §