Excerpts from the article:
Advocates on both sides of the public vs. private child care debate agree on some key issues. They both claim to want children in the care of capable workers and in facilities that are safe. Both want a system that encourages the overall social and intellectual development of the children in its care. Both want government money. Beyond this, the two sides diverge. The reason for this is the requirement that commercial child care centres make profits. Some ways for them to make profits are:
-charging higher user fees
-lobbying for greater government subsidy of user fees
-paying low wages
-providing limited services
-encouraging lax regulations
Advocates for a non-profit child care system emphasize the need for:
-universal access
-child care workers to be required to hold qualifications from recognized colleges
-good wages and working conditions for employees
-safe, well-equipped centres
-a fully-funded system that eliminates user fees
The rallying cry for promoters of the for-profit child care system is choice. They claim that a system of government subsidies for parents allows families to select the best child care situation for their children. In reality this choice extends only to those who have enough money to ensure their children are cared for to their personal satisfaction.
For the vast majority of Canadians there is little choice. They are faced with poor access in rural and low income areas, very limited access for children with special needs, and long waiting lists at established centres. The private system with its profit driven philosophy exists mainly to provide increasing wealth for the corporation, not to provide service to the children in its care. By keeping wages low, profit margins increase, but at the expense of a stable workforce. For-profit child care centres tend to be situated in well-populated communities to assure a profit through operations and possible resale of the business. Equity of accessibility and stability in the workplace are not priorities. Children with special needs are more costly to service and are often excluded.