Canadians divided over child care

While a majority of Canadians agree the government should invest in child care, they are divided over where and how to distribute funding, according to a new survey. In outlining its agenda in September 2020, the federal government promised it would create a universal child-care system. Its stated goal was to help more women either return or get into the workforce after pandemic restriction ease. 

The Angus Reid Institute surveyed 663 parents with at least one child under the age of six about current care arrangements. (Statistics Canada provides information on how many Canadian families have children under six.) The survey found that 47 per cent of families have at least one parent at home with their child and 53 per cent take their children to day care centres or home-based daycares. 

The survey found that 47 per cent of families with children under six years old had at least one parent staying home to take care of them. (iStock)

Staying at home a choice or necessity

Of those parents who stay at home 54 per cent say they do so by preference, conscious choice or ideal for their current circumstances. Another 39 per cent say it is because of the cost or availability of child-care spaces.

The parents of children in child care outside the home cite difficulties and stressors because of cost, quality and availability of child care. But 29 per cent say they had more than one choice available to them and 69 per cent said they had little to no difficulty in finding a child-care spot.

Yes to more money, but division on who should get it

A majority of Canadians (70 per cent) said Canada should spend more on affordable options for child care. But respondents were evenly divided between providing funding directly to child-care providers or to parents themselves.

Parents of young children caring for them at home were more likely to support giving funding to families rather than to the child-care system. This would include a monthly subsidy for care at home and paid family outside of employment insurance (EI). Under EI, Canadian parents with newborns are eligible to receive a little more than one year’s salary replacement. The benefit amounts to 55 per cent of the parent’s usual salary to a maximum of $595 per week and one of the two parents cannot receive more than 35 weeks of benefits.