Enfance Famille - Background

BACKGROUND

1974	The Québec government provides the first start-up grants to set up new non-profit daycares
1996	The Summit on the Economy and Employment is held in the Fall of 1996.

The Québec government announces its intention to implement new measures to assist families. These measures will later translate into actions such as adopting the new family policy that will lead to the development of the Centres de la Petite Enfance (CPE) and the implementation of the reduced contribution spaces program.

First presented at the Summit as an experimental social economy project, the early childhood center model spreads rapidly. But developing CPEs brings new challenges. In a concerted effort to give themselves the tools to jointly and effectively manage the waiting lists created by the network's booming growth, the Tables de concertation de la petite enfance du Sud-Ouest (Issue Tables on early childhood services of the Southwest Montreal area) come up with an innovative technological solution.

With help from the RESO organization and the CLSC de Saint-Henri, the Saint-Henri/Petite-Bourgogne and Ville-Émard/Côte-Saint-Paul work groups design the first version of Guichet Unique in Québec. Guichet Unique is the Coopérative's working name before its inception.

2000	The "Guichet unique" (One-stop service) project is created with start-up financing from the Fonds d'Économie Sociale du Sud-Ouest
2001	Second round of funding from the Fonds d'Économie Sociale du Sud-Ouest. Grant from the Fonds de lutte contre la pauvreté. This financial support leads to the design of the new technological solution adopted for Guichet Unique's Web site and Telephone Service system. Guichet Unique's services are set up with one employee.
2002	Financing from the Fonds d'économie sociale du Centre-Nord Grant from the Fonds de lutte contre la pauvreté. A second employee joins Guichet Unique and a director is hired. Guichet Unique's territory expands: CPEs, CDEC Centre-Nord and CLSC Villeray covering the territory of the Villeray, Saint-Michel and Parc-Extension burrough join the initial project.
2003	Setting up of the Coopérative de services Enfance Famille (and its website EnfanceFamille.org).
2004	The Coopérative now covers the entire territory of Montréal.
2005	A partnership agreement is signed with the ministère de la Famille, des Aînés et de la Condition féminine in an effort to pursue the development of the Coopérative on the Montréal territory. A partnership agreement is signed with the Fondation Lucie et André Chagnon to develop the preventive health component of the Coopérative's website. The Coopérative receives the “Prix de la relève coopérative” from la Coopérative de développement régional (CDR) Montréal-Laval.
2006	Membership is now open to the rest of the Province of Québec.
2008	The Coopérative Enfance Famille becomes the only single point of access to childcare service spaces to be officially recognized by the ministère de la Famille et des Aînés for the Montréal region.
2009	Launch of the new single point of access for daycare spaces and registration service for the centralized waiting list for Montréal daycares. Henceforth, enfancefamille.org will be a key tool for families seeking a daycare space in Montréal. On January 31^st, 2010, it had more than 105 member daycares in the Montréal area. With Coopérative Enfance Famille, parents can register on daycare waiting lists with just a few clicks. The Coopérative also provides information on all daycares in the regions it serves, regardless of whether they belong to the cooperative. The Mauricie and Centre-du-Québec join Coopérative Enfance Famille. In centralizing waiting list management by delegating it to the cooperative, daycares in these regions acquire a critical developmental tool.
2010	Launch of the single point of access for daycare spaces and registration service for the centralized waiting list for Mauricie and Centre-du-Québec daycares. More than 50% of the daycare services of those regions are already members of Enfance Famille.