Evidence supports daycare plan

Re: “Do homework on all the costs of daycare plan,” editorial, Nov. 25.

Years of “homework,” including a large and growing number of research studies, consistently find that public investment in high-quality, affordable child care results in large social and economic benefits. These benefits include increased female labour-force participation and economic growth (i.e. more jobs) and lower child and family poverty.

Years of “homework” also show that, among wealthy countries, Canada invests the least in child care, with provinces such as B.C. historically spending less than one-third of the international benchmark of one per cent of GDP. That’s why there are only enough licensed spaces for 18 per cent of young children in B.C. and, before B.C. Budget 2018, parent fees were too high and early childhood educator wages too low.

The cost and benefit analyses developed for the $10-a-day child-care plan are grounded in solid research. The child-care prototype sites across B.C. provide an excellent opportunity to learn even more about the actual costs of quality, affordable child care as the new system unfolds — a true example of evidence-based public policy that merits support, not unsubstantiated criticism.

Lynell Anderson

Family policy/$10-a-day researcher

Coquitlam

Read the Letters to the Editor in the Times Colonist newspaper here...

BC’s new provincial government has taken first steps to begin implementing universal child care. BC Budget 2018 committed $1 billion over three years to improve access to quality, affordable child care, complemented by additional federal funding of $153 million. Building on its election commitment to the $10aDay Child Care Plan, government’s significant actions to date are in three key areas — lower parent fees, more licensed spaces, and higher ECE wages.

See the financial commitments here...

Read letters from Lynell Anderson and Tara King in the Tri-City News

1. Bowen's Kinderhaus selected for $10 a day daycare

Parents said it was like winning the lottery on Bowen. Click here for article...

2. Houston parents to pay $10 a day for daycare

Beanstalk coordinator says this will make a "huge difference" to local families. Click here for article...

3. Penticton childcare facility lands provincial funding; $10-a-day costs for parents

PART 2 OF 4 POLICY BRIEFING NOTES • FALL 2018

Click here to download a PDF version of this policy brief.

In just 14 months BC’s still-new government has taken bold steps to address the child care chaos.

Finally, after 16 years of inaction on child care under previous governments, we’re now seeing substantial improvements. Based largely on the evidence-based $10aDay Child Care Plan, government is lowering parent fees, raising educator wages and education, and creating more licensed spaces.

Thanks to years of advocacy - from parents, grandparents, educators, and employers across the province – all of our elected officials now know how important quality, affordable child care is for BC children, families, communities and our economy.

Here are highlights of the BC government’s steps to date:

Read the full article here:

PART 1 OF 4 POLICY BRIEFING NOTES • FALL 2018

Click here to download a PDF version of this policy brief.

September 21, 2018

Honourable Katrina Chen
Minister of State for Child Care
PO Box 9057 STN PROV GOVT
Victoria, BC V8V 9E2

Dear Minister of State Chen:

Recently we have been contacted by parents and child care providers expressing concern about:

1. Child care fees that, from their perspective, are increasing substantially – despite their program’s participation in the Child Care Fee Reduction Initiative (FRI)
2. Licensed programs that may be closing, for various publicly-stated reasons.  

In the past, we alerted you to individual cases of unusual fee increases in Nanaimo that came to our attention. We are now hearing of large fee increases in other communities, typically in for-profit operations, which have resulted in no, or minimal, fee reductions for families.

Ministry staff have advised they are monitoring the situation closely, and find these are isolated situations. We hope that remains true for both unusual fee increases and program closures.

Certainly, we’ve been hearing lots of concerns about fee increases and program closures for many years. However, unlike the previous government, your government is making significant investments in lowering parent fees and increasing licensed spaces, so it’s essential to ensure that your child care priorities are not undermined.  In addition to the policies and accountability mechanisms already in place, we recommend that government take proactive steps to reduce the possibility of these situations arising, follow-up on individual concerns, and take action where appropriate and necessary.  

Click here to download a PDF version of the letter to Minister Chen