First round of federal spending spurs big increases in child care

TORONTO, June 2, 2021 /CNW/ - The first round of investments from the federal government for early learning and child care had a big impact, says a new report from the University of Toronto. Ottawa's small  transfer of $500 million a year to provinces, territories and Indigenous partners prompted an overall growth in public spending of more than $3 billion between 2017 and 2020, adding 100,000 spaces to the child care supply across Canada. 

The initiative was the first phase of Ottawa's 2017 10 year plan to grow child care access. In response to COVID-19, and the pandemic's devastating impact on mothers in the workforce, the federal Liberals upped their involvement in Budget 2021, turning what had been an $7.5 billion commitment into $30 billion.

Several jurisdictions took up the federal challenge with New Brunswick, British Columbia, Yukon, and the Northwest Territories announcing plans to create universal access to child care. The findings are part of the Early Childhood Education Report 2020. Released every three years by the Atkinson Centre, at the University of Toronto, the report provides a status update on federal, provincial and territorial early learning and child care initiatives.

Other trend-setting examples are highlighted. Quebec took real efforts to address quality concerns by introducing a new curriculum and training all child care providers in its use. New Brunswick  brought 91 percent of its child care centres up to new quality standards. Nova Scotia completed the roll out of prekindergarten for all its 4-year-olds. The Yukon transformed its early childhood services, slashing parent fees, increasing staff wages and enriching programming supports.  

Unfortunately, federal funding also contributed to an uptick in for-profit child care. The prospect of substantial public dollars announced in Budget 2021 has peaked even greater commercial interest. For-profit operators already dominate child care, capturing over 50 percent of the market in 7 out of 13 jurisdictions. Of the $7 billion in public funding spent in 2020 on regulated child care, 43 percent (over $3 billion) went to for-profit providers.

"It´s a troubling trend," says the report´s co-author Dr. Emis Akbari. "Research into Quebec's two-plus decade experience delivering different child care models reveals the dangers of relying on for-profit providers, whose programs are known for their poor quality and poorer outcomes for children. We have seen the havoc for-profit operators wrecked in long-term care, that cannot be replicated in child care."

The Early Childhood Education Report is produced in cooperation with the Centre of Excellence for Early Childhood Development at the University of Montreal. It describes the steps jurisdictions took to mitigate the worst effects of the pandemic on child care. The final tally has yet to be calculated.  Since the information in the report is current to March 31, 2020, it provides a baseline to assess COVID's impact. It also provides a baseline to assess activities emanating out of Budget 2021. 

The link to Early Childhood Education Report 2020 will be available at 10 a.m. June 3, 2021.  

SOURCE Atkinson Centre, University of Toronto