Child Care Coalition of Manitoba investigates expansion of public child care
Child care policy expert Jane Beach made a special presentation to last week’s Annual General Meeting of the Child Care Coalition of Manitoba (CCCM) highlighting the advantages of child care programs supported and delivered directly by local governments and other public entities.
Beach’s presentation discussed the possibilities of a greater public role in expansion and delivery, to accelerate the creation of quality, affordable child care under the $10-a-day framework.
She talked about the many strengths of Manitoba’s early learning and child care system, including having engaged and knowledgeable community partners, organizations and researchers, as well as initiatives such as Ready-to-Move that engaged several rural municipalities in the province in the establishment of new child care centres using modular building technologies. Beach noted Manitoba’s commitment to supporting Indigenous early learning and child care, and she applauded the provincial government’s knowledgeable team of provincial government officials who are grappling with the best way to expand child care programs and improve quality.
In her presentation, Beach highlighted international examples of countries that have successfully implemented universal access to ELCC. These countries typically provide a legal entitlement to child care beginning at the end of parental leave, deliver the majority of services publicly, spend at least 1% of GDP, maintain high levels of unionization among staff, and ensure that parental fees are low and capped.
“Canada and Manitoba have a lot to learn from other countries such as Norway on the value of universal access to childcare as a cornerstone of the right to a healthy childhood. It was great to learn about this and options to expand public $10-a-day childcare from Jane Beach,” said Molly McCracken, Chair of the Child Care Coalition of Manitoba.
Beach emphasized that a shift from private market to public systems does not happen overnight, noting the need to have a vision, set timetables and targets beyond the mandate of a particular government in power.
“It is no longer feasible to rely on volunteer parent boards to raise substantial funds and oversee the development of new centres”, Beach explained.
Beach said that transitioning from a private, market-based approach to a universal system of high-quality, affordable, and equitably available child care requires several key steps including:
- Establishing a clearly articulated policy framework with defined goals and guiding principles to steer system development
- Creating a regional infrastructure responsible for planning, meeting expansion targets, supporting existing centres, incubating new services, and holding licences where needed
- Exploring public delivery models, including direct operation by municipalities and/or school divisions
Beach concluded by outlining various governance models for a publicly managed system, including direct public operation, publicly owned not-for-profit (hybrid model), school-based delivery, and public networks or hubs operated by school boards, regional or municipal agencies.