The system has several elements and many problems. Making it fit for purpose will take a lot of work and even more resources than those that have just been announced.
The Sept. 20 election call may place Canada’s long-awaited national child-care plan at risk.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick
We enter this election with eight signed child-care agreements and question marks over the fate of those deals if the Liberal’s gamble on a majority government fails.
In Québec, the biggest child care provider by far is schools. Here, children raise their hands at a care centre in Montréal in August 2006.
CP PHOTO/Ian Barrett
As provinces and territories beyond Québec develop early learning and care plans, they should be aware of the pitfalls of taking shortcuts in response to parent demand.
High-quality day care has always been scarce in the U.S.
FatCamera/E+ via Getty Images
Taryn Morrissey, American University School of Public Affairs
For US parents, the health, economic and social crisis the COVID-19 pandemic brought about is compounded by the difficult if not impossible task of working, caring for and educating kids.
A child and family’s access to high-quality child care is an issue that impacts all of society.
(Shutterstock)
High-quality early child care and education affects children’s overall health and well-being, and is key for all the qualities children need to contribute to society and the economy.
Most kids get dismissed from school hours before the workday ends.
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