Parents deserve a real choice
Article published in Toronto Star, Feb. 12, 2011
From our work with a wide range of families across Toronto for many decades, we know that finding and keeping suitable, affordable child care is a tremendous need for most parents. This is not a new problem.
Indeed, the Royal Commission on the Status of Women first recommended a national child care plan for Canada in 1970. Since then the shape, size and contour of families has changed dramatically.
Today, most families in Toronto — whether led by one or two parents, by recent immigrants or Canadian-born, by same sex parents or a traditional couple — need two incomes to survive, let alone thrive.
When parents pursue paid employment, training or education outside the home, they want and need high quality, affordable services to support their child-rearing and their economic sufficiency. Even with paid employment, far too many families still live in poverty. A suitable, properly-funded system of early childhood education and care along with a parental-leave program that benefits all new parents are what’s needed.
Canada can and should improve its bottom of the list ranking as a child-care supporting nation. If we move to the top of the international list, we’ll be in good company with Norway, Sweden, Denmark and France. These countries demonstrate that substantive public policies, such as child care, support parents to raise their children and help to reduce poverty while creating a vibrant, economically successful and competitive society.
I urge the federal government to move toward that goal immediately.
Margaret Hancock, Executive Director, Family Service Toronto
