Addressing Inequalities in Child Care and Inclusion

Addressing Inequalities in Child Care Access and Inclusion

Introduction

The Canadian child care landscape has undergone seismic changes in the last four years. The COVID-19 pandemic served as a catalyst, prompting a significant shift in public opinion and governmental priorities toward recognizing child care as an indispensable economic service, particularly essential for fostering women’s participation in the workforce.

In 2021, the federal government committed $27 billion over five years to build a Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care (CWELCC) system1, grounded in the principles of accessibility, inclusion, affordability, and quality. The funding encompassed the Indigenous Early Learning and Child Care Framework, an umbrella agreement between the federal government, First Nations, Métis and Inuit governing bodies.

1 This was in addition to ELCC funds through existing commitments.

This commitment marked a historic milestone, laying the groundwork for subsequent advancements, such as the adoption of the Canada Early Learning and Child Care Act (Bill C-35) and additional investments in Budget 2024 to bolster the expansion of not-for-profit and public childcare services.

Significant progress has already been made in Canada toward more affordable child care services. However, Canada’s historically market-driven approach to childcare has fostered a legacy of unequal service provision and access, perpetuating disparities and excluding disadvantaged groups. As such, understanding and addressing inequalities in child care access and inclusion have become imperative.

This brief provides an overview of the Child Care for Whom? background paper developed for the Inclusive Child Care for All project by Oxfam Canada, Child Care Now, and Childcare Resource and Research Unit. The paper explores the under-representation of racialized women, newcomers to Canada, and mothers with disabilities in regulated childcare, and provides policy recommendations for a more inclusive childcare system.

The legacy of Canada’s market model for child care

In Canada, there are significant knowledge gaps regarding the use of child care services and the barriers different demographic groups face in accessing them. A systematic study of the families and individuals using child care services, the types of child care used, and the obstacles encountered in accessing such services has not been conducted.

According to a comparative study conducted by Friendly and Japel in 2018, child care is scarce in Canada, which has resulted in limited access for all families irrespective of their income levels, circumstances, or geographical location. However, the situation is worse for parents who work non-standard hours, those who live in rural and remote areas, immigrants and refugees to Canada, children with disabilities, Indigenous children, and children from low-income families.2

Two studies conducted using data from the 2019 Survey of Early Learning and Child Care Arrangements (SELCCA), as well as a detailed study conducted in 2021 by Quebec’s data agency, Institut de la statistique du Québec, show that socially and economically

disadvantaged families—low-income and low-education, and newcomer families—are less represented in any type of child care, and are usually less likely to use regulated child care.3

When examining Canada-specific literature on access issues specific to racialized and newcomer families, along with mothers with disabilities, the literature underscores numerous barriers. These include experiences of racism, lack of respect for diversity, financial constraints, inequitable spatial distribution of regulated child care facilities, and exclusionary policy practices.

For mothers with disabilities, the challenges are manifold, extending from attitudinal barriers, discrimination and societal stigma to heightened scrutiny from child protection agencies. The lack of accessible and affordable child care further exacerbates these issues, jeopardizing their economic security and overall well-being.4

Understanding equitable access and inclusion in early learning and child care

Inclusive child care, consistent with the interpretation in the CWELCC plan, refers to the provision of quality and responsive child care that is accessible to all children and families regardless of their race, ethnicity, gender identification, lifestyle or situation. It aims to create a welcoming and inviting space for everyone.

An influential paper by Vandenbroeck and Lazzari (2014) shares the growing concern that even in countries with well-established universal child care systems, children from ethnic minorities and low-income families face difficulties accessing early learning and child care. They propose an ecological framework with three layers: characteristics of policy, service provision and families— each layer encapsulates various factors that contribute to either facilitating or hindering access to high-quality early learning and child care.5

2 Japel, C., & Friendly, M. (2018). Inequalities in access to early childhood education and care in Canada: The Equal Access Study. International Centre: Early Childhood Education and Care (ICEC), German Youth Institute (Deutsches Jugendinstitut e.V., DJI), Munich.

3 Findlay, L.C., Wei, L., & Arim, R. (2021). Patterns of participation in early learning and child care among families with potential socioeconomic disadvantages in Canada. Economic and Social Reports, Statistics Canada https://doi.org/10.25318/36280001202100800002-eng

4 Friendly, M., Nguyen, N.T., & Taylor, M. (2023). Child care for whom? Background paper for Inclusive child care for all. Childcare Resource and Research Unit.

5 Vandenbroeck, M., & Lazzari, A. (2014). Accessibility of early childhood education and care: A state of affairs. European Early Childhood Education Research Journal, 22(3), 327-335. https://doi.org/10.1080/1350293X.2014.912895

Within policy characteristics, the authors highlight the limitations of market-driven systems in attracting disadvantaged families. Even when such systems are accompanied by voucher systems or subsidies. They advocate for public policies addressing child care availability, entitlement and costs within a quality-setting regulatory framework to mitigate enrollment disparities.

Meanwhile, within characteristics of service provision, they identify barriers preventing ethnic minorities, lowincome families, and those with precarious employment from accessing child care services. These barriers include child care shortages, inadequate services, and prioritization mechanisms like waitlists based on early signups. Family characteristics further impact access, with socioeconomic status, cultural background and language comprehension influencing information access and trust in authorities.

To improve structural accessibility, Vandenbroeck and Lazzari put forward five criteria: availability, affordability, accessibility (which tackles barriers like bureaucratic processes, waitlists, and language obstacles), usefulness (ensuring services meet families’ needs), and comprehensibility (involving negotiation of values and beliefs with families and communities). These criteria underpin 13 recommended practices, including securing public funding, ensuring entitlement to ELCC, and promoting diversity in the workforce, among others.

Policy Takeaways

Available data, research, and local experiences corroborate that newcomers to Canada, racialized individuals, and socioeconomically disadvantaged families face barriers in accessing regulated child care. Further research and better data are needed to fully understand the extent of these barriers on specific groups of women and their children. Child Care Now’s Early Learning and Child Care for All Roadmap6guides the following policy takeaways to transform ELCC from a patchwork market to a system that sets a foundation for equity and inclusion:

1. The most effective way to address unequal access and inclusion in ELCC systems is for governments to develop and implement public policies that adequately address issues of availability, affordability and quality.

In March 2024, Canada passed the Canada Early Learning and Child Care Act (Bill C-35). This legislation emphasizes that federal investments and agreements with provinces and territories should prioritize accessible, affordable, inclusive, and high-quality early learning and child care programs and services7 Additionally, it mandates that federal funding must support the provision and equitable access to ELCC programs and services—in particular for public and

6 Child Care Now. (2023, August 3). Early learning and child care for all: A tool kit to bring about public policy change. Retrieved May 5, 2024, from https://childcarenow.ca/early-learning-and-child-care-for-all-a-tool-kit-to-bring-about-public-policy-change/

7 Parliament of Canada. Government Bill (House of Commons) C-35 (44-1) - Royal Assent - Canada Early Learning and Child Care Act. Retrieved May 4, 2024, from https://www.parl.ca/DocumentViewer/en/44-1/bill/C-35/royal-assent

not-for-profit child care providers—that are inclusive of children from systematically marginalized groups, children with disabilities, children from English and French linguistic minority communities, and children from rural and remote communities. The legislation also requires that these programs respect the diversity of all children and their families and respond to their varying needs.

Although all jurisdictions have agreed to the principles of inclusivity in their agreements, the level of specificity in their action plans varies. Canada is still in the preliminary stages of implementing the necessary changes to create a comprehensive early learning and child care system. While this is a crucial step in addressing issues of unequal access and exclusion from high-quality child care, it is just the first step towards finding a solution.

2. Private funding (such as parent fees) and private management of child care services must be replaced with public funding and more public management.

Transforming Canada’s child care system requires shifting from reliance on private to public entities for funding, planning, and managing regulated child care. Federal initiatives in Canada demonstrate a commitment to long-term funding to replace private financing, particularly parent fees. Progress has been notable, with all 13 provinces and territories halving parent fees by the end of 2022, and some reaching the goal of an average of $10-a-day child care ahead of schedule.

However, reliance on parent fees remains a barrier for marginalized groups. Advocates emphasize that provinces and territories should develop and implement funding formulas that fully cover operating program costs, provide fair compensation for staff, and cap parent fees at $10 a day, with geared-to-income fees starting at $0 a day for lower-income parents.

There is a growing recognition of the potential role that municipalities or local governments can play in promoting equitable access to child care. The principle of subsidiarity emphasizes the importance of handling tasks at the lowest competent authority level. However,

in Canada, municipalities operate under provincial jurisdiction without any inherent powers. Provinces and territories are responsible for child care and education. By enhancing their capacity for local management, municipalities can facilitate democratic participation and ensure responsive child care programming by directly engaging with families and children accessing them.8

The extent of municipal involvement in child care across Canadian provinces varies widely. In Ontario, municipalities have a significant role in financing, administration, service planning, and even operating child care services. They are also recognized as “caretakers of quality” because of their commitment to implementing quality measurement tools.9

Another example is British Columbia, which, unlike Ontario, does not have a mandate but has voluntarily played a key role in child care since the 1990s. Its involvement spans various areas such as demand forecasting, establishing non-profit services, land use planning, and issuing capital grants to non-profit service providers. In other provinces like Alberta and Saskatchewan, municipalities have a more limited role in service provision.10

The success of municipalities in contributing to equitable access and inclusion to ELCC services heavily relies on funding and capacity support from higher levels of government.

3. Governments must develop concrete public strategies to increase the supply of not-for-profit and public operated child care

In 2023, a TD report revealed that Canada would still face a shortage of 243,000 to 315,000 child care spaces, despite plans to create 250,000 by 2026.11 To ensure equitable access, provincial and territorial governments must prioritize addressing this shortage by establishing clear plans and targets for expanding public and nonprofit child care.

Historically, private entities in Canada have primarily been responsible for creating child care programs and securing capital funds, resulting in an unequal distribution of child care spaces. To rectify this,

8 Friendly, M., Beach, J., Mohamed, S. S., Rothman, L., Vickerson, R., & Young, C.A. (2020). Moving from private to public processes to create child care services in Canada. Toronto: Childcare Resource and Research Unit.

9 Friendly et al. (2020).

10 Friendly et al. (2020).

11 Caranci, B., & Fong, F. (n.d.). The Space Between Us: The Availability of Childcare will Define Canada’s Workplace. TD Economics - Canada. Retrieved May 5, 2024, from https://economics.td.com/ca-space-between-us

strategies must ensure that publicly funded child care services are publicly planned, and capital assets remain in public hands.

Recent commitments by the federal government aim to tackle these challenges. Budget 2024 includes plans to create more $10-a-day child care spaces and provide $1 billion in low-cost loans and $60 million in non-repayable grants to public and not-for-profit child care providers, administered through the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation.12 Expansion strategies vary across provinces and territories.

Furthermore, advocates stress the importance of child care operators adhering to public accountability measures under the new publicly funded system, with public funds not utilized to grow the for-profit sector. Most bilateral agreements prioritize child care expansion exclusively through non-profit and public service providers. However, provinces such as Alberta, New Brunswick, and Ontario, have sought public funding for for-profit providers. Nova Scotia recently sought a similar amendment to its bilateral agreement, but the federal government declined the request.

Finally, the expansion of child care won’t be possible without providing decent compensation, benefits and working conditions to attract and retain qualified early childhood educators and staff. Child Care Now (2024)

highlights a lack of cohesive workforce policies and funding programs at the provincial and territorial level, with many maintaining low wages and minimal attention to benefits and pensions. Improving regulatory aspects such as space requirements and staff-child ratios is also crucial to enhancing the work environment for early childhood educators.13

Conclusion

Addressing unequal access to child care requires recognizing early learning and child care as a public good essential to fulfilling the rights of all children, women, and families. As Canada moves towards building a universal early learning and child care system, achieving true inclusion demands decisive policy-making, clearly defined targets and timelines, collaboration at all levels of government and active monitoring of results. This must be coupled with engagement and consultations with the child care sector, including operators and staff, as well as organizations working with communities identified as underrepresented child care users and families. A multi-stakeholder engagement strategy has to be a priority at all three levels of government (federal, provincial/territorial and municipal) to ensure equity and inclusion are centered in efforts to make quality child care accessible to everyone who needs it.

12 Canada, Department of Finance. (2021, May 12). Budget 2021: A Canada-wide early learning and child care plan. Canada.ca. https://www.canada.ca/en/department-finance/news/2021/04/budget-2021-a-canada-wide-early-learning-and-child-care-plan.html

13 Child Care Now. (2024). A summary of early learning and child care workforce policies as of December 2023 under the Canada-wide child are system.