In 2021, the federal government launched the Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care program with the promise to build, over time, a primarily non-profit system of low-fee, high quality, inclusive licensed child care for all children under age 6. Work was carried out through Child Care Now’s Growth by Design project to identify the opportunities…
Child Care Now has released a new policy brief on the role of immigration in Canada’s ELCC sector written by Dr. Yolande Pottie-Sherman as part of the Educator’s Matter project. The brief explores the intersections between immigration policy and early learning and child care policy, a topic that was identified as a key workforce issue…
It takes more than housing to create a thriving community. Access to affordable child care can unlock education and employment opportunities. Child care is an essential aspect of the social infrastructure that should be located alongside homes.
Growth by Design was a three-year research project (2023–2026) focused on understanding the barriers and opportunities to expanding not-for-profit and public child care in Canada.
The 2021 Federal Budget marked a transformative milestone in Canadian social policy, committing almost $30 billion over five years to establish a Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care (CWELCC) system. This investment enabled the federal government to sign initial five-year bilateral agreements with all 13 provinces and territories, creating a national framework focused on reducing fees, creating over 250,000 new spaces, and strengthening the early childhood workforce.
This spotlight paper examines the role of public delivery in building a universal ELCC system in Canada. Drawing on Canadian data and international experience, it highlights the benefits of public delivery, reviews recent trends across provinces and territories, and identifies policy actions needed to remove barriers and support the expansion of publicly delivered licensed child care.
Child Care Now is asking the House of Commons Finance Committee (FINA) to recommend a larger investment in the Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care program as part of the federal government’s plan to make Canada strong, and to provide sufficient funding to implement the Indigenous Early Learning and Child Care Frameworks. Child Care Now’s…
CIBC, one of Canada’s largest financial institutions, says that expanding access to affordable and publicly-funded child care is crucial to increasing mother’s labour force participation. In a new report, CIBC Thought Leadership states that, although the wage gap persists between mothers and women without children, it has been narrowed due to the expansion of affordable…
A recent decision by the Government of Prince Edward Island to reduce funding for pedagogical support staff in child care programs has alarmed the PEI and Canada-wide child care community. The pedagogical support program in PEI provides funding for staffing beyond ratio-levels, enabling educators to engage in paid preparation time and providing additional support to…
The federal government’s spring economic update has heightened fears that Prime Minister Carney’s plan to “Build Canada Strong for All” will exclude women by failing to invest sufficiently in the expansion and strengthening of Canada’s child care program, says Child Care Now, Canada’s national child care advocacy association. “It is well-established that when families can’t…
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