Child Care Advocacy Works!
Thank you to everyone who celebrated IWD with a $10aDay Child Care Advocacy Celebration!
Here's a wonderful graphic representation of our event - the success and the work ahead.
What's Next for Child Care in BC
Good news! Thanks to action by $10aDay supporters the stars are aligned for significant child care change in British Columbia.
The recent provincial election delivered a majority to the party that made the strongest child care commitments. The new NDP government has given the returning Minister of State for Child Care, Katrina Chen, clear expectations in her Mandate Letter. The good news is that her directives are aligned with the $10aDay Plan.
And, it appears that the province will have federal support to deliver the $10aDay Plan in BC. In her recent fiscal update, federal Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland said that the federal government will embark on developing a "Canada-wide early learning and child care system" and that Budget 2021 will provide a plan to “provide affordable, accessible and high-quality child care from ocean to ocean to ocean.”
We have specific recommendations on how BC’s government should begin to implement its commitments to have the greatest benefit for children, families, and educators in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. And, given it’s now confirmed that child care is moving into the broader learning environment it’s essential that the Minister for Child Care and the Minister of Education collaborate to:
- Bring $10aDay child care to more BC families;
- Deliver school-age child care in schools using classrooms already designed for young learners;
- Implement the provincial ECE wage grid starting at $26 per hour;
- Create more licensed child care programs in publicly owned space.
The negative impacts COVID-19 has had on women’s participation in the work-force make these investments vital for families and BC’s economic and social recovery.
BC absolutely can have a quality affordable system of child care programs where educators earn decent wages – all we need is for governments to deliver on their commitments.
Thanks for your continued support – we must keep up the pressure to ensure change happens!
Reality Check
Reality Check: Progress on Child Care in BC, 2012-2020
In the early days of the current BC election campaign child care took centre stage when NDP leader John Horgan recommitted his party to fully implement the $10aDay Plan1 if elected on October 24. Public discussion and commentary followed in the media and from other parties. Questions were raised about the progress achieved on child care over the three years since the NDP and Green parties formed a minority government, in comparison to the progress achieved by the previous Liberal government leading up to the 2017 provincial election. The analysis in this report uses publicly-available data to clarify the record on child care in BC.
Over the last few decades, multiple studies2 confirm that the longstanding, market-based and privatized approach to child care in this province—and across much of Canada, outside of Quebec—results in care that is largely unaffordable (due to high parent fees), unavailable (with spaces for less than 20% of young children in BC) and of inconsistent quality (due to low educator wages and levels of education). The research also identifies consistent solutions: public policy with sufficient investment and accountability for substantially lowering and capping parent fees; supporting the early childhood educator profession, and; making inclusive, licensed spaces available for all who choose them.
The analysis presented here assesses progress on these building blocks of effective child care systems using three key evidence-based indicators:
- Parent fees, including measures to support lower-income families;
- Total number of licensed spaces and per cent of young children with access to a licensed space, and;
- Early childhood educator (ECE) wages3.
Most of the data (see Table 1) is sourced from annual performance reporting published by the BC Ministry of Children and Family Development (MCFD).
Click here to download the full report
Read moreVoters Guide on Child Care
BC Election 2020
For 40+ years we have called on all political parties to commit to building a quality affordable child care system for children and families, a system where educators receive a decent wage. Now, for the first time in BC history, all 3 major parties have made substantial child care promises in their 2020 provincial election platforms.
This is a hard won and momentous victory for generations of families & educators who’ve advocated for decades for quality affordable child care. The election promises are a remarkable indication of our collective success at advancing systems change, as all parties, whether they have previously supported government investments in child care or not, now recognize the popularity of the $10aDay Plan to voters, the importance of child care to British Columbians and the impact of child care on BC’s economy.
In previous elections the BC NDP and more recently the BC Greens prioritized child care investments, and now the BC Liberals have too. This is a major shift! Our focus can move beyond calling on all parties to commit to child care to now holding whoever is elected accountable to deliver on $10aDay polices.
Here is our summary of each party’s current election platform, and their recent record, on child care affordability, the ECE workforce, child care spaces, financial commitments, and building a child care system. We also provide a brief analysis of each party.
BC Election: Media Release on Child Care
For Immediate Release…A Busy Week for Child Care!
BC election called and child care the number one issue to be highlighted
It is extremely significant that in the first days of the provincial election Premier John Horgan has recommitted the NDP to the $10aDay Plan. Spokesperson, Sharon Gregson said, “government made significant progress for families and early childhood educators over the past 3 years – more progress in fact than in the 16 years leading up to the 2017 election.” $10aDay child care is life-changing for families and essential to BC’s economic and social recovery.
While John Horgan and the NDP have recommitted to the $10aDay Plan; which includes affordable fees for families, a starting wage of $26/hr for early childhood educators, and new spaces that are public assets, like schools – we have not yet seen a similar commitment from the BC Liberals.
Liberal leader Andrew Wilkinson said a Liberal government would introduce an affordable child-care plan with costs that would vary according to family resources. However, Family Policy researcher, Lynell Anderson CPA CGA confirms this income-testing subsidy approach has been part of the failed market-based system for decades. It results in higher parent fees, low ECE wages, and too few quality spaces.
While we were not privy to internal negotiations between the Greens and the NDP in 2017 we know from their platforms there were differences in their visions for child care. Since then, new Green leader Sonia Furstenau has shown she’s an advocate for early childhood education and has committed to child care as a public system but, has not yet committed to the $10aDay Plan.
Over the last 3 years child care fees have been reduced for 60,000 families and of those, 32,700 families are paying $10 a day or less. Early childhood educators have been receiving a wage top-up of $2 per hour, and funding for 20,000 new spaces has been confirmed. “This is a good start for families and the economy” says parent of two young children, Sara Langlois, “we need more progress on $10aDay not moving backwards to old ways of thinking about child care.”
Now, with a new federal commitment to Canada-wide investment in high quality accessible child care, this is the time for BC’s political leaders to commit to immediate and significant $10aDay expansion.
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Download a pdf of the media release
Contact [email protected]
Child Care Key to BC Election
On October 24, British Columbians go to the polls to elect a new provincial government. Those we elect will need a strong mandate to chart a bold and just future.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, it has become clear to all that a quality, affordable child care system is central to this future – a future that meets the needs of children and families, values early childhood educators, supports Indigenous peoples, advances gender equity and a sustainable economy, and redresses the many inequities that exist in our society today.
That is why we are calling on all BC political parties and candidates to make a meaningful commitment to implement the $10aDay Child Care Plan across BC.
Over the last 3 years, BC made historic new investments in child care. As a result, families of 32,700 children are now paying $10aDay or less for their child care. But, as we knew from the start, building the child care system BC needs is a 10-year project that will require new annual investments and sound public policy.
Based on the progress achieved since 2018, we call on all parties to commit to the vision and principles of the $10aDay Plan. Immediate priorities are to:
- Move NOW to significantly expand $10aDay child care programs across BC
- Implement a wage grid for BC’s early childhood educators, starting at $26/hr
- Use public funds to build child care spaces that are public assets, like schools
Widespread public support for action on child care has never been greater. Candidates should know that access to $10aDay Child Care is the measure of success for BC families.
Ninety percent of British Columbians agree that provincial investments in a quality, affordable child care system are important. More than ¾ believe that government should move more quickly to achieve the goals of the $10aDay Plan.
Those who seek office should also know that business leaders and economists agree - investing in child care is essential to our social and economic recovery.
Over the next month, we will be providing you with election updates and resources.
Together, we can make sure that BC elects a government with a strong mandate for bold action on child care.
Register for a mail in ballot here: https://eregister.electionsbc.gov.bc.ca/ovr/welcome.aspx#
Message from a Mum
Families are Desperate for School-Age Child Care
Dear Ministry of Children & Families,You are failing my family. I live in East Van. My daughter goes to XX Elementary. We have been on the one and only after school care waitlist that services this small school for a whole school year, and the waitlist has now been shut down due to COVID-19.We will essentially never get after school care for our daughter now.What I can tell you as an extremely highly educated Canadian woman who has researched other options now for a whole year, there is no other option that works for families. After school care is the one and only option that lets women work full time (which often means, lets women work period, as often part time is not an option).Regardless of income, privilege, language skills, Neighbourhood connections (I have all these), I am very close to having to give up my job because I can’t cover a couple of time slots in my elementary aged child’s day. Imagine the situation for those less privileged?
Message to Early Childhood Educators in BC
A Message from the Early Childhood Educators of BC (ECEBC)
and the Coalition of Child Care Advocates of BC (CCCABC)
For over 40 years, our two organizations have advanced the development of a well-educated, fairly compensated, and highly respected early childhood educator (ECE) profession. We have always known that ECEs are essential to achieving a high quality, affordable child care system that meets the needs of BC families and communities.
Our broadly-supported research and advocacy over the last 10 years, as reflected in the evolving $10aDay Child Care Plan, created the conditions that made recent progress in BC possible, with much more to come.
The Next Step report, incorporating research, analysis and recommendations for a provincial ECE wage grid, is the latest example of our ongoing commitment to advancing your important work.
By 2007, the failure of BC’s (and much of Canada’s) longstanding market approach to child care was abundantly clear to us. Without public funding, parent fees were too high for most families, but too low to compensate ECEs fairly. The inextricable, problematic link between parent fees and ECE wages made expansion of quality child care difficult. As few could afford to access or work in child care, there were licensed spaces for less than 20 per cent of young children.
So, we began to develop concrete solutions. CCCABC detailed the estimated costs and benefits of a publicly-funded system. ECEBC initiated the $20/hour Wage Strategy based, in part, on the wages paid to ECEs working in BC’s StrongStart programs. These publicly-funded early learning programs are delivered through the Ministry of Education and provided at no cost to parents, who attend the programs with their children.
Our two organizations remain committed to working together to make the goal of a respected, well educated, and fairly compensated ECE profession a reality. Download the full document here...
Read moreOpen Letter to Finance Minister Freeland
OPEN LETTER to The Honourable Chrystia Freeland,
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance
September 1, 2020
On behalf of the Coalition of Child Care Advocates of BC, congratulations on your appointment as Minister of Finance. As Government prepares for the Throne Speech and your first Federal Budget, we are writing to highlight that it is imperative you prioritize and invest substantially in high quality, affordable child care.
This is particularly important for women, as they have been disproportionately impacted by the crisis. The COVID-19 pandemic exposed the social and economic costs associated with longstanding and intersecting structural inequities in Canada, and the importance of a feminist recovery.
The successes achieved to date in implementing the $10aDay Child Care Plan in BC demonstrates that significant federal/provincial/territorial child care investments, with accountability, will advance an inclusive, equitable, green and broadly-supported economic recovery Canada-wide.
Read moreThea's Child Care Story
My husband and I put our lifetime savings to our “Canadian dream”, even instead of doing a full-on Catholic Church wedding in the Philippines. Our law firm said that the better the “score” the better the chances of getting the immigration papers approved. This is what Canada likes. What were these qualities that made our score high in the Skilled Workers Program?
- My husband and I are both well-seasoned nurses. I was 12 years Senior Orthopedic Nurse in specialized areas of hand surgery, pediatric, spine and sports surgery. My husband was a police-ambulance nurse and an emergency nurse in the biggest Trauma Center in the United Arab Region for 8 years in total.
- I passed my general IELTS with total band score 7.5
- We had 1 child then, my daughter Ysabelle, which also adds to the score
We applied mid-July 2013 and arrived as landed immigrants 8th July 2017 with $30,000+ pocket money, my daughter was 1 year and 5 months, and I was 5 months pregnant with our 2nd child. Full of rigor, hopes and dreams for the future of our family we embarked on our Canadian dream.
Of course, prior to coming here we mentally prepared ourselves: we would not have our most trusted nanny; and we wouldn’t be able to have our career as Nurses as we needed to do the necessary upgrading. We were ready to take on other roles outside medicine and delve into other opportunities, whatever it was to survive. What came as a surprise was not only the lengthy, confusing and monetary draining process of upgrading, but also extended waiting time for bridging, and most especially the very costly, very difficult to find, very long listed child care services in BC Canada. We thought we came prepared. No, we were in for a very rough ride!
