Headed up, but still behind: Child care coverage rates in Alberta’s top ten largest cities, 2016 – 2021

Abstract

Child care coverage rates are an important way to measure the availability of child care, with higher rates generally meaning child care is more available. Coverage rates have increased in every one of Alberta’s ten largest cities in recent years, but the increases have been uneven, and all cities remain well below international targets. There are several actions that both municipalities and the Government of Alberta can take to increase the availability of child care in their jurisdictions that mesh well with the goals of the new Canada-Alberta Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement.