Federal gov't, most provinces failing on daycare
June 13, 2008
CTV.ca News Staff

The Canadian Labour Congress has given the federal government and most of the provinces a poor grade for their efforts to provide quality, affordable daycare.

The federal government's report card was stamped with a dismal "incomplete" for failing to provide stable, predictable funding for child care, according to the group.

On a provincial basis, Manitoba fared the best, scoring a B-plus. …

The province has capped annual fees for preschool-aged children at $4,512 per year, has improved subsidies for lower and moderate income families and offers fair wages to workers.

"Quite clearly we have a government that has invested quite a bit of time and money and effort in creating a great system here in Manitoba," Don Giesbrecht, of the Canadian Child Care Federation, told CTV's Canada AM from Winnipeg.

"We also have parents who have really stood up and taken a good look at the child care services they were receiving and they demanded more and better."

British Columbia trailed all the other provinces, with a grade of D-minus.

The province's report card said some improvement has been noted -- but B.C. works too slowly, has trouble taking responsibility and is struggling with the concept of universal access and is falling behind in the areas of public funding, planning and reporting.

B.C.'s report card says the province struggles with basic child care concepts.

"Subsidies do not make child care affordable for all unless parent fees are capped at reasonable levels. Between 2001 and 2006, average full-time fees for children aged 3 to 5 increased by $672 per year," the report card states.

Sharon Gregson, a child care advocate in Vancouver, wasn't shocked by B.C.'s poor score.

"I wasn't surprised and I'm sure the parents paying over $1,000 a month or the parents on long waiting lists were not surprised either," Gregson told Canada AM.

The report card outlines a number of problems in B.C., including the fact it has child care spaces for only 14 per cent of the province's children, despite the fact 75 per cent of the province's mothers are in the workforce.

"Our fees are high and getting higher, our wages for our qualified staff are low and not rising the way they should be and we simply don't have the spaces nor do we have a plan to build the spaces that we need in this province," Gregson said.

…. Ontario was described as being goal-oriented and speaking with confidence, but failing to follow through and needing to strengthen listening and problem-solving skills.

The province's subsidies will not be effective until parent fees are capped at a reasonable level and more progress is required to raise wages and the quality of service.

Alberta, which also received a D-grade, has demonstrated a capacity for and commitment to improving service, but needs to utilize all available information for problem solving, the report card states.

The province also offers ineffective subsidies to parents, needs to do more to raise wages and needs to provide more child care spaces -- about 70 per cent of mothers are in the labour force, but there are only enough regulated spaces for 13 per cent of children.

Quebec got an automatic pass, ….with 45 per cent of all the regulated daycare spaces in the country and steady, up to date funding.

"Obviously in Quebec the families there and the government there, they have created an expectation of quality and accessibilty," Giesbrecht said.

"Clearly they have invested a lot of money to keep fees at a reasonable rate for families and they're saying it supports the economy and healthy child development and it supports families, so they have committed and made it a priority."