Labour Studies (LBST) 348

Overview

Labour Studies 348: Childcare and Workers in Canada is a three-credit senior-level course offering a comprehensive introduction to the Canadian childcare field. Covering theories of care, historical and current public policy, the early learning and childcare workforce, impact on workers outside the sector, Indigenous childcare, and key public policy issues, the course examines how policies shape the sector, exploring historical contexts and analyzing present challenges like accessibility and quality. Focusing on public policy approaches, we study their impact on early learning, childcare workers, and the broader workforce

Learning outcomes

After completing LBST 348, you will be able to:

1. Describe the modern childcare sector, including its scope, historical development, and underlying dynamics, with a specific focus on the labour relations aspect.
2. Evaluate the main legislative approaches employed in the development and delivery of childcare services by critically assessing their purposes, strengths, and weaknesses.
3. Describe the labour conditions and public policy impacting the Early Childhood Education workforce.
4. Discuss the ongoing impacts of residential schools and the various child welfare scoops and their impacts, specifically on programs directed at young Indigenous children today.
5. Explain the diverse impacts of childcare availability on such things as the economy and workforce participation.

Outline

LBST 348 is divided into 6 units:

Unit 1: Foundational Theories and Concepts of Care Work

Unit 2: Early Learning and Childcare: Historical and Current Context

Unit 3: Early Childhood Educators and Workers

Unit 4: The Impact of Childcare on Other Workers

Unit 5: Indigenous Childcare

Unit 6: A Key Debate in Childcare: For-Profit or Not?   

Evaluation

To receive credit for LBST 348, you must complete and submit four written assignments and an oral review, and achieve a minimum grade of D (50 percent)  on each one.

Activity	Weight
Assignment 1: Reflection Paper	5%
Assignment 2: Memo	20%
Assignment 3: Public Policy or Human Resources Brief	25%
Assignment 4: Comparative Policy Analysis and Advocacy Letter	35%
Assignment 5: Oral Review	15%
Total	100%

Materials

This course either does not have a course package or the textbooks are open-source material and available to students at no cost. This course has a Course Administration and Technology Fee, but students are not charged the Course Materials Fee.

Digital course materials

Links to the following course materials will be made available in the course:

All course materials are entirely online and include a study guide, a digital reading room (DRR), and links to articles and videos.

Important links

• Academic advising
• Program planning
• Request assistance
• Support services at AU