Introduction:

Families in Canada desperately need access to early childhood education and child care services that only a comprehensive system can provide. The key to building this system is the same today as it has been for many years: The federal government must step up to the plate. Provincial/territorial programs on their own will continue to evolve in painful, slow steps leaving many parents unable to find or afford quality programs for their children. As this discussion document shows, it doesn't-and shouldn't-have to be this way. Read on to see what federal leadership and dedicated, accountable investment in a child care system could accomplish by 2020.