Time Out: Child care fees in Canada 2017

Posted on December 18, 2017 in Child & Family Delivery System

PolicyAlternatives.ca – Timeout
December 12, 2017.   David MacdonaldMartha Friendly

Over the past year, our research has highlighted some of the challenges that stagnating wages pose for families in Canada. This week, our latest report offered insight into a key factor affecting families’ bottom line: child care fees. The fourth annual snapshot of child care costs found that, not only are these fees going up, they are outpacing inflation in the majority of Canadian cities. As a result, child care fees have become the second biggest expense for many families after housing. As rising fees push child care out of reach, families are scrambling for stopgap solutions including settling for unlicensed child care options or having one parent stay home because they can’t afford to return to work.

There is hope, though. Our research found that provinces where governments set fees and provide operational funding consistently have the lowest child care fees, compared to areas where the market is left to decide what families will pay. While infant care in Toronto costs $1,758 a month or $21,096 a year, infant care in Montreal costs just $168 a month or $2,016 a year. Programs in Quebec, Manitoba, and PEI show that government led initiatives to provide affordable child care work.
Our report resonated with communities across Canada and we’ve had a busy week talking with reporters from coast to coast about child care costs and what we can do to bring affordable child care to every community across the country. Here’s a link to the full report, authored by our senior economist David Macdonald, and below you’ll find a few of the national media headlines we made. To see more stories about our report and its findings, be sure to connect with us on social media.
Download – https://www.policyalternatives.ca/sites/default/files/uploads/publications/National%20Office/2017/12/Time%20Out.pdf

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This study, the fourth in a series beginning in 2014, reveals the most and least expensive cities for child care in Canada. The study provides an annual snapshot of median parental child care fees in Canada’s 28 biggest cities for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers. For the first time ever, the study also includes child care fees in selected rural areas.

The study finds that child care fees have risen faster than inflation in 71% of the cities since last year, and in 82% of cities since 2014.

Cette étude est disponible en français.

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ISBN:
978-1-77125-375-8
https://www.policyalternatives.ca/timeout?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=Here%27s%20a%20link%20to%20the%20full%20report&utm_campaign=Newsletter%2006/27/17

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