Community and expert responses

In light of recent announcements related to the status of child care in Candian provinces and internationally, there have been a number of community responses to provincial action(s). Below, you will find statements, campaigns, and letters from community and sector stakeholders to government officials as a call to action and in response to their announcements. This section will be updated as more information becomes available. 

Sen. Elizabeth Warren: Childcare is 'infrastructure for families' [1]
CNN, 19 August 2020 

Coronavirus is making Corporate America realize that child care isn’t someone else’s problem [2]
The Boston Globe, 15 August 2020

Open letter calls for child care reform [3]
CBC News Network, 13 August 2020

Expanded provincial daycare strategy needs to be part of pandemic recovery program, Regional councillor says [4]
St. Catharines Standard, 12 August 2020

Revisiting ““from reopening to recovery: a child care plan for Ontario” [5]
Association of Early Childhood Educators Ontario and Ontario Coalition for Better Child Care

Open letter to the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister of Canada: There is no time like the present to build a pan-Canadian system of child care [6]
Child Care Now, 12 Aug 2020

Cheaper childcare: A practical plan to boost female workforce participation [7]
Grattan Institute, 9 August 2020

Why are child care programs open when schools are not? [8]
The New York Times, 4 August 2020

No better time than now to make childcare a priority: expert [9]
The Morning Show - Global News Radio, 4 August 2020

Opinion: Decades of progress on gender equality in the workplace at risk of vanishing [10]
The Globe and Mail, 2 August 2020

Rebuilding childcare in Canada must include a national strategy [11]
Policy Options, 30 July 2020

A universal child care system with decent work at its core must be the goal of Ontario’s review of the child care and early years act [12]
University of Toronto (OISE), July 24 2020

Rebuilding childcare for a fair recovery and a stronger economy — aqm [13]
Air Quotes Media, 20 July 2020

Prolonged recession ahead if there isn't a childcare solution: Economist [14]
BNN Bloomberg, 16 July 2020

Panel: Armine Yalnizyan and Goldy Hyder on Canada’s economic recovery [15]
CBC News: The House, 11 July 2020

MPP Peter Tabuns: Doug Ford don't abandon parents in reopening schools and child care centres. [16]
Youtube, 8 July 2020

A strategy for recovery: Making affordable child care for ALL a reality [17]
Child Care Now!, July 2020

SEE: Plan to sustain Canada’s Early Learning and Child Care (ELCC) through the COVID-19 pandemic [18]. This plan was developed by Canada’s three national early childhood education and child care organizations: Canadian Child Care Federation, Child Care Now (Canada’s child care advocacy association), and Childcare Resource and Research Unit.

How do we navigate a return to school and childcare? [19]
First Policy Response, 25 June 2020

Take action for child care: 3 steps to act now for child care [20]
Ontario Coalition for Better Child Care & Association of Early Childhood Educators Ontario, 22 June 2020

A strategy for recovery: Making affordable child care for ALL a reality [21]
Child Care Now, June 2020

Press release: Canada must take a lesson from COVID-19 and build a child care system [22]
Child Care Now, 23 June 2020

Ontario’s three-day notice for child-care reopening is a slap in the face for providers, children and their families [23]
The Star, 18 June 2020

Canada needs a childcare system for recovery and beyond [24]
First Policy Response, 18 June 2020

Webinar: Pandemic Economics: Thoughts on she-cession, she-covery, and future growth  [01:07:04] [25]
Canadian Association for Business Economics, 18 June 2020

Needed now: A feminist recovery plan [26]
Katherine Scott, Behind The Numbers, 11 June 2020

Stephen Lecce’s letter to parents doubles down on the Ford government’s half-baked child care plan [27]
The Star, 15 June 2020

Daycares reopening [28]
CBC Listen, 10 June 2020

Child care centres set to reopen this Friday - but are they ready? [29]
The Morning Show - Omny.fm, 10 June 2020

Video: Childcare resumption plan 'inadequate:' coalition [4:41] [30]
CP24, 9 June 2020

From reopening to recovery: A plan for child care reopening in Ontario and moving to a publicly funded system [31]
Ontario Coalition for Better Child Care & Association of Early Childhood Educators Ontario, 27 May, 2020

Bezanson, Bevan and Lysack: Economic recovery from COVID-19 must include the ‘care’ sector [32]
Ottawa Citizen, 25 May 2020

Lack of child care is a crisis hiding in plain view, amplified by the pandemic and rippling into the future  [33]
Metro Morning, 22 May 2020

Video: What Ontario’s childcare plan means for parents during COVID-19 [34]
Global News, 21 May 2020

Feminist response to COVID-19 [35]
Feminist Response to COVID-19, May 2020 (ongoing updates)

$10aDay Child Care NOW - for BC’s COVID-19 recover [36]
Coalition of Child Care Advocates of BC, May 2020

Video event: Child care and the COVID-19 pandemic [37]
Video discussion hosted by: Doly Begum MPP for Scarborough Southwest and Official Opposition Critic for Early Learning & Child Care. Featuring: Carolyn Ferns, Policy Coordinator, Ontario Coalition for Better Child Care and Alana Powell, Executive Coordinator, Association of Early Childhood Educators Ontario on Thursday, May 14 at 7pm. 

Les éducatrices en services de garde : les anges oubliés ? [38]
The Conversation, 8 May 2020

California child care at the brink: The devastating impact of COVID-19 on California child care [39]
Center for the Study of Child Care Employment, 7 May 2020

Part of Canada’s recovery must be an overdue plan for universal child care [40]
The Hamilton Spectator, 1 May 2020

You can’t reopen the economy without child care [41]
HuffPost Canada, 4 May 2020

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on early learning and child care programs in Alberta [42]
The Association of Early Childhood Educators of Alberta, April 2020

The men pushing to re-open the economy clearly don’t need child care [43]
The Nation, 30 April 2020

Social solidarity and childcare are at the centre of social and economic recovery [44].  
First Policy Response [45], April 15, 2020.

Video: Your most cherished possession is ours too [46]
Norquest College/ YouTube, 6 April 2020

Caregiving beyond the crisis [47]
Behind the Numbers - CCPA NS, 27 April 2020

Letter to Ahmed Hussen: Sustaining early learning and child care through the pandemic [48]
Child Care Now, 14 April 2020

Statement from OCBCC President in response to Ontario Education Minister Stephen Lecce [49]
Ontario Coalition for Better Child Care, 14 April 2020

Letter to the Minister for increased supports [50]
AECEA, 8 April 2020

COVID-19 Letter to Government [51]
College of Early Childhood Educators Ontario, 8 April 2020

COVID-19: Protecting the health and safety of workers in emergency childcare centres [52]
Canadian Union of Public Employees, 2 April 2020

UPDATE! Ontario Child Care Closures due to COVID-19 [53]
Ontario Coalition for Better Child Care, 31 March 2020

COVID-19: Response to BC financial incentives for COVID-19 [54]
Coalition of Child Care Advocates of BC - $10 a Day Campaign, 25 March 2020

Child-care federation calls on provinces to take unified approach during outbreak [55]
CBC News, 26 March 2020

Even as their role in fighting COVID-19 has become clear, child care workers remain an afterthought [56]
The Star, 26 March 2020

MLA Danielle Adams letter: Parent fees amidst COVID-19 [57]
Danielle Adams, 25 March 2020

Child care and COVID-19 [58]
Coalition of Child Care Advocates of BC - $10 a Day, 20 March 2020

Child care in Manitoba must remain public after COVID-19 [59]
CUPE, 20 March 2020

Letter of to Premier, Ministers of Health, Education and Finance amidst COVID-19 [60]
Saskatchewan Early Childhood Association, 19 March 2020

An emergency plan for Ontario child care in response to the COVID-19 pandemic [61]
Ontario Coalition for Better Child Care, 17 March 2020

Open letter to Canada’s Premiers - Early learning and Child care planning COVID-19 [62]
Canadian Child Care Federation, 16 March 2020

Campaign: Temporarily close child care programs in Ontario due to COVID-19 [63]
Ontario Coalition for Better Child Care, 15 March 2020

Statement on COVID-19 [64]
Association of Early Childhood Educators Ontario, 13 March 2020

MPP Doly Begum: Ensuring child care is not left behind in Ontario’s response to COVID-19 [65]
Doly Begum, 15 March 2020

COVID-19 statement to B.C Minister of Health [66]
Early Childhood Educators of BC, 17 March 2020

Position statement on COVID-19 [67]
Manitoba Child Care Association, 16 March 2020

Response to lack of COVID-19 public health directive on child care [68]
Coalition of Child Care Advocates of BC, 18 March 2020

Applying for financial support (EI): Information for child care and early years' workers relating to COVID-19 [69]
Association of Early Childhood Educators Ontario, 19 March 2020