Canada's child care policy has always been a topic of heated debate. Presently, Canada is one of the only developed countries worldwide that does not have plan in place for nation wide child care (Hurtig, 2002). Howe & Covell (2007) state that "Canada has failed to make progress toward a system of universal high quality early learning and child care or even toward establishing widespread access to high quality programs" (p.47). According to Campaign 2000, early childhood education programs are an essential component in reducing poverty and providing children with the ’best start in life”. In addition to reducing poverty, early childhood education programs "strengthen the foundations of learning for all children, supports the social need of families, and promotes equal opportunities for women in the labour market” (www.campaign2000.ca, 2010). Campaign 2000 continues on to report that although these early childhood education programs should be readily obtainable for all families across Canada, the current programs available in Canada curtails the actual needs of Canadian families.
Brief history:
In the year 2003, Canada created the Multilateral Framework on Early Learning and Child Care. This agreement was put in place to improve access, quality and affordability of childcare nationwide. The agreement aimed at investing approximately 1 billion dollars per year from the years 2003 - 2008 into early learning and child care. Nine provinces signed agreements with individual action plans on how funding would be divided (Howe & Covell, 2007).
In the year 2006, when the Conservative government was elected they terminated the agreements set out by the provinces indicating that several of the provinces had not devised an action pl...
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...s behind in providing high quality, accessible and affordable child care nationally. Hurtig (2002) encourages that "it's time we joined the many civilized countries that have one" (p.314). More government investments are needed to bring child care up to a reasonable level.
Works Cited
2010 Report Card on Child and Family Poverty in Canada: 1989-2010. Retreived Jun 24, 2011, from: www.campaign 2000.ca
Howe, R.B. & Covell, K. (2007). Children's Rights in Canada. A Question of Commitment. Waterloo, Ontario. Wilfrid Laurier University Press.
Hurtig, M.(2002). The Vanishing Country. Is It Too Late To Save Canada? Toronto. Canada. McClelland & Stewart Ltd.
Hurtig, M.(1999). Pay the Rent or Feed the Kids. The Tragedy and Disgrace of Poverty in Canada. Toronto. Canada. McClelland & Stewart Ltd.
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Meyers, M.K. & Gornick, J.C. (2003). Public or private responsibility? Early childhood education and care, inequality, and the welfare state. Journal of Comparative Family Studies, 34, 379-411.
Why am I Poor? First Nations Child Poverty in Ontario. Canada: Best Start Resource Center,
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Lasser, J., & Fite, K. (2011). Universal Preschool's Promise: Success in Early Childhood and Beyond. Early Childhood Education Journal, 39(3), 169-173.
Smith, C. (2013, September 1). A Legacy of Canadian Child Care: Surviving the Sixties Scoop.
Smith, Kristin and Adams, Nicholas, "Child care subsidies critical for low-income families amid rising child care expenses" (2013). The Carsey Institute at the Scholars' Repository. 5 May 2013. Paper. 19 Nov. 2013.
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