$10aDay Child Care Plan: questions and answers

Child Care for All

  • In 2021 the federal government announced that it would invest $30 billion over 5 years (March 2021-March 2026) to build a primarily not-for-profit and public early learning and child care (ELCC) system in Canada.  It is regularly referred to as the ‘$10aDay Child Care Plan’, with its goal to achieve $10 a day child care for children aged 0-5 across all provinces and territories by March 2026.
  • As part of the federal commitment, each province and territory signed agreements with the federal government that outlined their commitment to expand access to affordable, high quality early learning and child care delivered by primarily public and not-for-profit operators.
  • The Child Care Act was enacted in Parliament in March 2024. It marks the federal and provincial governments’ commitment to build a Canada-wide early learning and child care (CWELCC) system. It represents a shift toward a publicly funded system.
  • Prior to $10aDay, child care was firmly established as a provincial and territorial responsibility, with provinces and territories (with the exception of Quebec and more recently, Yukon) operating as a market-led model where operators set parent fees. 

  • The $10aDay Child Care Plan set the goal of 250,000 new child care spaces between 2021 to 2026. There were over 50,000 new spaces for 0-5 year olds created in the first two years of the program, between April 2021 and March 2023.
  • As of March 2023, 45,000 new spaces had been created and, in April 2024, 100,000 spaces had been created or allocated. This means that 100,000 more children will have access to affordable, high-quality, public and non-for-profit child care — where these children can learn and grow with the support and care they need.
  • The percentage of children aged 0 to 5 years enrolled in full- or part-day licensed centre-based child care increased from 28% to 31% between 2021 and 2023.

  • No. Wages and benefits for educators and other staff have increased in most provinces and territories since the start of CWELCC. Wages have increased through direct funding to operators to fund educator wages.
  • Seven provinces and territories have wage grids, up from only two provinces prior to the $10aDay Child Care Plan. Wage grids set out the required wages and pay levels for educators, based on factors such as qualifications and years of service. 
  • Wage grids are important for accountability, transparency and equity within licensed child care. 
  • Four provinces and territories have also introduced province-wide healthcare and/or pension benefits for child care workers using federal funds transferred to the provincial and territory governments. These benefits are important retention incentives and support a well compensated and experienced workforce. 

  • The $10aDay Child Care Plan makes child care accessible to so many more Canadian families, and so now they want it. Waitlists for $10aDay Child Care are long because it is now affordable. 
  • Prior to the $10aDay Child Care Plan, cost was a barrier to families even considering using licensed child care
  • Waitlists are a problem, but there are solutions to waitlists. Governments must invest in capital expansion plans and strategies, and in the wages for educators to ensure a stable workforce. 

  • The $10aDay Child Care Plan makes early learning and child care inclusive of all children wherever they live, whatever their circumstances.
  • Families who can’t afford $10 a day are eligible for provincial fee subsidies for either lower or no fee child care.
  • A simple, flat fee system is more accessible to families and progresses Canada toward the goal of a universal system. 

  • A big advantage of the $10aDay Child Care Plan is operators are less reliant on revenue for parent fees to pay the costs of programs. Instead, they can count on public funding.
  • The lower parent fees delivered by the $10aDay Child Care Plan has made it possible for operators to open their doors to children and families who would otherwise not had the means to enrol. 
  • If operators need additional funding to cover higher costs, they are now in a position to get governments to step in rather than increase parent fees and risk children leaving the program for financial reasons.

  • The $10aDay child care plan raises the quality of early learning and child care by ensuring there is accountability for public funding. Public funding can only be spent on items that are part of the cost of delivering high quality early learning and child care.
  • For-profit operators by definition want to be profitable. In some cases, they are required to deliver profits to shareholders. The $10aDay Child Care Plan puts limits on the level of profit-making by controlling how public funds are used.

  • The $10aDay Child Care Plan increases child care options for parents by making child care more affordable and expanding licensed child care spaces in both centres and home child care.
  • There are many types of programs to choose from that are included in the $10aDay Child Care Plan, such as extended hours, not-for-profit and for-profit centres, home child care and culturally and linguistic specific programs.
  • Before the introduction of the federal early learning and child care plan, high parent fees limited access to licensed child care. Only a small number of parents qualified for parent fee subsidies. Now, many more families can afford and choose licensed child care.
  • Waitlists are long because so many parents want to benefit from the fee reductions. This problem can be solved if governments take responsibility for planning and funding the construction of new facilities, or the renovation and expansion of existing facilities.