Now I'm Mad!

(Sorry about the lack of formatting in this one, folks. Having some technical problems. -Jo)


O.K. That does it. Now I am fuming!!!

I had been patiently following up with the YWCA National Office regarding their self-indulgent report, "Building a community Architecture..." As I stated in an earlier post, I was somewhat skeptical of the claim that "Most Canadians would prefer a national day-care program over a federal cash payout", as reported on CTV so I sent numerous emails to various levels of the organization to attempt to ferret out the truth.

Originally I sent an email to the National Office, asking for some details regarding the report, and was referred to the press release on their website.

I then asked, "Am I correct that you extrapolated the finding that 'Most Canadians would prefer a national day-care program over a federal cash payout' from the comments of your task force representatives? If that is the case, I am having trouble finding how many there were in your survey, and how they were selected."

The prompt response was, "I'm not into the project so I forwarded your message to Farheen Beg who's the project assistant and one of the writers of the report. I'm copying her here. Please contact her directly with all your questions. Thanks."

(Did you catch that? "I'm not into the project". No, I bet a lot of people aren't.)

So, I dutifully shot out an email to Ms. Beg, "...Is this information from the comments of the four community task forces? If so, how was that sample derived? Random selection? How was the question phrased? How would that be representative of most Canadians?"

Reply:

"Thank you for your email. I have forwarded your question to Jenny Robinson, Director of National Initiatives. She coordinated the project and report and can answer any questions you have. I have asked her to get back to you. She will do so at her earliest convenience."

Sent several follow-ups, and finally received this:

Joanne,

Sorry for the delay. We have been inundated with over a hundred media calls as well as information requests from numerous supporters. Below are the answers to your questions.

(- Really? Please tell me if YOU can see the answers to my questions?)


FYI - You can find the full report and background information on our website at www.ywca.ca.

First you have to understand that it was not a poll, it was a participation action research study that involved four representative communities across Canada. The study was funded by Social Development Canada. The purpose of Building a Community Architecture for Early Childhood Learning and Care was to develop effective models for the care and education of young children. This work took place in - Halifax, Nova Scotia; Cambridge, Ontario; Martensville, Saskatchewan; Vancouver, British Columbia. Task forces of key stakeholders (parents, child care providers, and representatives from education, health, special needs, aboriginal organizations, labour and business) were established to build community models of integrated early childhood learning and care (ECLC).

These task forces were asked to:

a) Consider how existing community resources can be organized to serve as a strong foundation for new Early Childhood Learning and Care (ECLC) investments;

b) Develop a community consensus on early childhood service delivery models that would:

• Provide children with early learning opportunities at the same time parents are supported to work/study and parent effectively

• Be accountable to governments and communities

• Make efficient use of limited public resources

• Better respond to the needs of children, families and communities

• Improve outcomes for children and families

The groups met five times over the course of 8 to 12 months. These day long meetings were well documented and facilitated by a community coordinator who also provided support to the groups and consolidated the findings. At the end of there work together the communities each created a ‘blue print’ of their plans. The four case studies were then used to produce the final report. We have also produced a guide that other communities can use if they want to undertake a similar planning process.

Thanks for your interest in our work.

Regards,
Jenny Robinson
Director of Advocacy and National Initiatives
YWCA Canada
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Mmmmm...... Looks like a form letter; smells like a form letter. Could it be? Actually it is worded very much like the responses I used to get from my M.P. way back when she bothered to reply to me, and I wasn't black-listed. They must have the same assistant.


I reply:

Hi Jenny,

Thanks for your extensive reply. I appreciate that a lot of time and effort went into your study.

I am simply trying to find out how CTV came to the conclusion from your report that most Canadians would prefer a National Day Care Program over a federal cash payment, as detailed below.

There must have been some kind of statistics that were used to support this statement.

Thanks very much,
Joanne
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Well, I never received a response to that one for a few days, so after several more letters, Jenny finally sent me this beauty:


I have already responded to the best of my ability. JR
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Oh, man!!! I can feel the venom from here! This lady is not a happy camper. I questioned her precious report and she can't defend those statements! When people are caught in a situation like this, (as I noted in an earlier post), they either fight or run. I'm guessing she has decided to retreat into the protective custody of outraged indignation.

My question is, could somebody please tell me who these "Most Canadians" are???

If I hear one more unsubstantiated report about "Most Canadians" or "Studies show", I am going to explode!!! And studies show that most Canadians would agree, it would not be a pretty sight.