Until Parents Demand Better, There Won’t Be a Plan to Fix the Child-Care System

Commentary Earlier this month, the House of Commons Standing Committee on the Status of Women heard testimony about the impact of the federal government’s $10-a-day child care program on Canada’s child care entrepreneurs. The testimony came as part of the committee’s study on women’s economic empowerment, which has examined a wide range of issues impacting women. The Association of Day Care Operators of Ontario (ADCO) represents independent licensed child-care centres, both commercial and not-for-profit in Ontario. Independent licensed child-care centres are those that are not owned or operated by a municipality, school board, or any other public sector organization, or by a national multi-service agency such as a YMCA. As ADCO’s executive director, I appreciated the opportunity to bring forward the challenges so many of our members are facing as a result of the Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care program (CWELCC). It’s a complicated story that parents are just beginning to understand....