UNIT I:    INTRODUCTION

This report was written for the Canadian Committee on Learning Opportunities for Women as part of a three month project to investigate policy development around the needs and problems facing women who are, or would like to be, involved in various learning activities, educational agencies, and/or training programs. The impetus for this project came from two sources:

• the summary of the perceptions of educators on learning opportunities for women in Canada, written by Janet Willis, on behalf of CCLOW during 1977; and

• the report on the educational needs and learning conditions of adult learners, written by members of the Department of Adult Education of the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, on behalf of the Ontario Commission on Declining School Enrolments, during 1978.

Both of these reports indicated that adult educators in general, and particularly those working with women, lack specific background information about the needs and obstacles involved in women's participation in learning activities and about the characteristics of women learners, would-be-learners, and non-learners. The information which does exist on these topics is largely European or American. Very little of it deals with Canadian learners, and even less with Canadian women as learners.

Therefore, the national steering committee decided to begin this process of gathering background information by conducting a small investigation into the available material, information, policy statements, and practices related to the following:

A. the support services which are ancillary to the educational or training program and which appear to be essential to satisfactory participation and completion. We chose to focus on Day Care Services. Other topics might have included:

• information and counseling services at the community level for would-be-learners and as an internal service for registered learners

• transportation services

• financial assistance and counseling services

• administrative policies and procedures related to such activities as admissions, credentialing, grading, library services, audiovisual services, etc.

• attitudes and interpersonal skills of administrators, counsellors, teachers, trainers, and others in relationships with women students.

• affirmative action programs for staff and students.