Research by economists about early childhood education and policy
Parisa Mahboubi complains (Globe and Mail, April 11th) about Ontario’s new plan to provide free preschool child care, but I think she should be cheering instead. I agree with her that the cost of child care is a major barrier to increased labour supply, to gender equality in employment, and to children gaining positive experiences in child care.
Here is the full final report “Affordable for All: Making Licensed Child Care Affordable in Ontario” as submitted to the Ontario Ministry of Education. This report is still being translated into French, so it is possible that page numbers will change in the final version released by the Ontario Government. Those who intend to reference this report in an academic publication should refer back here in a few weeks for the absolutely final version.
Press release from the Office of the Premier.
“Today Premier Kathleen Wynne announced that full-day licensed child care will become free for preschool children from the age of two-and-a-half until they are eligible to start kindergarten, beginning in 2020. Free preschool child care will save families an estimated $17,000 per child, allow parents to go back to work when they choose and help give children the best start in life.”
Continue reading “Press release: More Child Care, More Choice”
This study seeks to answer the question “What is the best way to improve the affordability of licensed child care for infants, toddlers and preschoolers in Ontario?” It seeks to provide a comprehensive analysis of alternative funding and policy options and to recommend steps forward that can dramatically improve child care affordability for families.
Continue reading “Executive Summary to Report for the Ontario Government – Affordable for All”
Recently, Prof. Bob Brym invited me to join others in exploring the issue of equality in contemporary Canadian society. The occasion was the inaugural S.D. Clark Symposium on the future of Canadian society. My topic was to assess how good a job child care is doing in Canada in improving different types of equity – gender, child and family. I’ve attached my (rather lengthy) notes for the talk. You should look for the volume based on this Symposium to be published soon by Oxford University Press. It will contain chapters from each of the authors, including my own.