Communicate and control the messaging to members and the larger public about child care, as per Q and A and talking points.
Talking Points
Child care
Despite the Harper government’s attestations, there is no national child care program in Canada.
Four years after the conservative’s dismantled the Liberal’s fledgling funding arrangements for a national child care program, in favour of its ‘cheques for child care’ program the situation has not changed.
Improving the child care situation for working families would have a huge economic multiplier effect that would more than offset the cost of funding such a program
Research shows a strong correlation between the quality of care provided and the wages and working conditions of the child care providers
Facts
UCCB
$100 per month per child under six, taxable allowance implemented in 2006.
Number of new child care spaces created in Canada between 2006 and 2009: 26,661
Child care spaces
In 2007, there were 4.7 million children in Canada under the age of 12. Of these, 3.1 million had mothers in the workforce. The number of regulated spaces for all of these children in 2008 was – 867,194. That is less than one space for every four children.
A 2006 report by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) ranked Canada last out of 14 countries in terms of public investment in early childhood education and care services
Growth in regulated child care
2007-2008: 29,791 additional spaces
2006-2007: 26,131 additional spaces
2004-2006: 32,668 average each year
2001-2004: 50,831 average each year
Child care worker wages
Median full-time, full-year employment income for centre-based Early Childhood Educators and Assistants — 2006
All staff: $25,100
With an ECE diploma: $27,366
Think Public
Public Services
Most child care spaces are delivered by not-for profit organizations, but the percentage of for-profit providers has increased from 21 per cent to 25 per cent between 2006 and 2008.
child care services operated not-for-profit are more likely to be high quality than those operated to earn profit
