Excerpts from the report:
Increase federal investment in a system of quality, affordable, accessible child care. With the possible exception of Quebec, there is currently no organized system of early learning and child care in Canada. Parents needing child care must cobble together a combination of family-based, before- and after-school, publicly-funded, and private arrangements. As the Child Care Advocacy Association of Canada points out, this is particularly difficult for single parents (the majority of whom are single women) and for women in general. High quality, affordable, accessible child care is a key factor in women's equality in a nation where women continue to perform a disproportionate amount of unpaid caregiving work. A recent report from the Centre for Spatial Economics suggests that every $1 invested in early learning and care will boost the economy in the long run by $2.40. The report highlights a perspective that views the spending of public funds on particular social goods as investments rather than simple costs, and predicts several additional benefits that would result from a growth in public support in this area:
- Increased labour force participation among parents, resulting in higher employment earnings.
- Higher future incomes resulting from a decrease in school drop-out rates and improved rates of postsecondary educational participation.
- Increases in future parental earnings thanks to enhanced work experience and post-secondary education completion rates.