FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 20, 2024
The Canadian Child Care Federation and advocates call for continued expansion of the $10aDay Child Care Plan to secure affordable, high-quality early learning and child care for all children
As part of 10 Days of Action for Child Care and Early Learning, families and advocates from St. John’s to Victoria are calling for an expansion of the $10aDay Child Care Plan—to bring affordable and accessible child care to all families who need it.
OTTAWA – Upon the launch of the 10 Days of Action for Child Care and Early Learning Campaign, CCCF along with families and child care advocates across Canada are calling for all governments and political parties to commit to the continued expansion of the $10aDay Child Care Plan, to build on the significant impact it’s making in providing more affordable and accessible licensed child care for families across the country.
During the 10 Days of Action, from November 20th to 30th, groups across the country will be drawing attention to the benefits of the $10aDay Child Care Plan, which promises to make quality programs accessible and inclusive and significantly expand the availability of public and nonprofit child care across Canada.
“The Canada-wide system of early learning and child care (ELCC) has been a transformative policy for families across the country,” said Marni Flaherty, Interim CEO of the Canadian Child Care Federation. “The $10aDay Child Care Plan has brought affordable, high-quality child care within reach of thousands of Canadian households, allowing parents—especially women—to re-enter the workforce, pursue further education, and contribute to the economy without sacrificing the well-being of their children.”
Families and the Early Childhood Educators across Canada are calling on governments and political parties to:
● Commit to strengthening and expanding the $10aDay Child Care Plan, ensuring its sustainability and growth.
● Increase public funding to improve the working conditions and compensation for early childhood educators.
● Implement public planning and a capital funding program to expand the supply of not-for-profit and public child care
“The $10aDay Child Care Plan is already benefiting hundreds of thousands of families by reducing the cost of child care—and now more must be done to ensure that all children and families who need it have access to high-quality early learning programs,” said Morna Ballantyne, Executive Director of Child Care Now. “The plan’s success hinges on the continued participation of all levels of government, as without this, the affordability, availability, and quality of child care and early learning will be left in the lurch.”
Key to the plan’s success is addressing the growing demand for qualified and well-compensated early childhood educators. The $10aDay Child Care Plan has already funded wage increases and enhanced benefits to help recruit and retain the skilled workers needed to maintain and expand high-quality child care. However, advocates warn that further public funding is essential to sustain and enhance these improvements as the expansion of licensed child care programs nationwide depends on skilled workers.
“Early learning and child care is a public good, and as a society, we must value it in the same way we do public education,” said Diana Sarosi, Director of Policy, Campaigns and Communications with Oxfam Canada, one of the many organizations endorsing the campaign. “This means ensuring that educators are paid well and supported in their work, and that child care programs are affordable, accessible, and inclusive for all families. We have a moral obligation to ensure that every child has the chance to benefit from a high-quality system of early learning. The $10aDay Child Care Plan is a critical step toward making that promise a reality for all children and families who need it.
Martha Friendly, Executive Director of the Childcare Resource and Research Unit, said that extensive domestic and international research confirms that the approach taken by the $10aDay Child Care Plan is the correct one. “The vision for the future is clear: a primarily public and not-for-profit early learning and child care system that directs public funds to licensed operators, who employ valued qualified educators, to offer high-quality, affordable care for all children who need it,” she added. “However, this vision cannot be realized without continued investment in the workforce and infrastructure to meet growing demand, which is why we call on all levels of government and political parties to urgently prioritize the continued expansion of the $10aDay Child Care Plan.”
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For more information, contact:
Morna Ballantyne, Executive Director, Child Care Now
613-791-3411
morna.ballantyne@childcarenow.ca
Marni Flaherty, Interim CEO of the Canadian Child Care Federation
905-906-0030
mflaherty@cccf-fcsge.ca
