Occasional paper series

This paper sketches the context of early learning and child care under the Canada-wide plan, and then reviews Saskatchewan’s child care history and current policyscape. It highlights both the long Saskatchewan tradition of non-profit services and the province’s key child care challenges. It presents Canadian and international research that underscores the pitfalls and risks of a for-profit child care route. It ends by identifying alternatives that build on Saskatchewan’s strengths to address the province’s child care challenges.  

In this occasional paper by Martha Friendly, the expansion of Canada's $10 a day program is examined alongside how new public funding and prioritization of non-profit child care have fuelled the rise of "fake non-profit" child care centres. Referred to as "fake non-profit" or "masquerade" centres, this paper discusses how and why these have arisen in Canadian child care at different times and how they fit within legislation governing corporate status.

The Trudeau government’s changing child care file:  From “institutional daycare” to early learning and child care for all

This paper summarizes what is known about the child care workforce in Canada, the implications of this for regulated childcare, and identifies  some considerations and strategies to address the ongoing issues and improve the overall state of ECEC. A summary of the relevant research and data leads to the conclusion that a coordinated and comprehensive strategy is needed to address the multiple and interconnected variables that impact the working conditions of those in the child care workforce.

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This paper by long-time child care advocate and policy expert Julie Mathien documents the roots of modern child care policy in Canada through the lens of Campus Community Co-operative Day Care Centre (CCCDCC) at the University of Toronto. The paper describes the rise of community-based child care in Ontario, the first wave of child care advocacy and the 1960s context of progressive political activism. It was written to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Campus Co-op, founded by Toronto feminists in 1969.  

This report is available online for download.  See links below.

Do child care markets “work”? Market failure, “compromised” and “peculiar” markets

Description:

The purpose of this paper, aimed at a wide range of stakeholders, is to provide a current overview of the state of rural child care and to stimulate and inform discussion aimed at improving it.

The report includes the following sections as well as references and appendices: 

Description:

This report is intended to be a useful tool for policy makers striving to strengthen child care policy and programs, researchers studying child care, family and workplace policy issues, advocates working for accessible high quality child care for all Canadian families and employers of non-standard hours workers. Its main purpose is to provide an up-to-date report on the state of child care for families working non-standard hours in Canada. 

The report includes: