Childcare “substantially underfunded” says head of national organization

“I think they are still 250,000 spaces short of that, and then we’ve seen so many different cutbacks, so most centres now have cut all of those enhanced programs that they used to be able to offer.”

Churcher says the cost may actually be higher than $40 billion.

She adds that the amount was arrived at by taking the average cost of providing quality care at $27,000 per child per year, subtracting the $10/day parents would pay.

They then multiplied that by two-thirds of 2.2 million, the number of eligible children. Eligible children are those who have not yet attended their first day of school.

Churcher says that in Alberta, there is no funding for anything outside of core care. Things like food services, extra staff or field trips would be paid for by the daycare operators or parents.

Churcher also says that one in every three kids across Canada has access to a $10/day space.

She adds that Grande Prairie “is showing a high need.”

“They base that on being less than 33 per cent coverage, meaning less than 33 per cent of the children in Grande Prairie have access to child care spaces.”

“I think what I’m hearing from our members that are actively operating centres in Grande Prairie (is) there have been quite a few new centres opening.”

Churcher says one operator in Grande Prairie has 200-300 families on a wait list.

She adds that some new spaces have been created here in the last few years.

Churcher says there are some parts of Alberta that she describes as “saturated” with spaces.

She adds that the parents who have spaces for their kids at a funded centre feel the program works well. The ones that can’t feel the program doesn’t work.

“We only have an agreement with the federal government in Alberta until April of 2027. I think you’re going to start to see more centres opening without access to the funding for families in this program, and that’s going to become more of a conversation.”

“We really haven’t had that two-tiered system yet in Alberta, but it’s coming.”

Churcher says the $10/day spaces are running out.

ACE’s website says 1760 childcare operators have signed on to its Call to Action.

Churcher adds that operators want to see “an equitable system.”

“Something that’s means-tested or income-based, which actually serves families that need affordable childcare the most.”

“What we have right now is (a) universal model system that everybody gets the same $10/day or $15/day childcare fees regardless of income.”

Churcher says her organization believes having the same fees for families that make $400,000 a year as those that make $40,000 is not “the best use of our public funding or really serving the families and communities that need affordable childcare the most.”

Churcher says her group also wants to see equal funding access for public and private, for-profit operators.

For-profit ones are often excluded, even though they have the same regulations.

Churcher also says Alberta operators do have a chance to give their input provincially, but not federally.

“We still have a federal government that does not want to support the private side of childcare, even though over 57 per cent of childcare in Canada is still in private centres.”

“There is very much a closed door to these meetings for the private sector.”

Churcher says all stakeholders need to be included to build what she calls “a successful childcare system” in Canada.”

If she were invited to give input, Churcher says she would say that this program needs to go to parents.

“Funding spaces over funding children has created a system that is not able to meet the needs of families. It’s rolling out as a one-size-fits-all model, which does not serve children, and there’s not enough funding to roll it out in a universal way, the way it is structured right now.”

Churcher says giving parents more choice to pick whatever works for the child, and still having access to this funding, must also be looked at.

by Curtis Galbraith