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Today, the Child Care Coaliton of Manitoba released a report card on the state of child care in Manitoba. The CCCM is calling on the Manitoba government to take immediate action to create a universal child care system as recommended by the ‘Manitoba Early Learning and Child Care Commission Final Report (2016). The publicly-funded Commission Report maps out a policy framework to create 12,000 accessible, affordable, quality child care spaces in Manitoba with in five years and invest in the Early Learning and Child Care workforce.
‘The province’s own funded resarch shows that quality, affordable child care is good for child development, enables parents to work or study and economic development. However the child care sector is being starved of funding while this government is spending more money on consultants when there already is an evidence-based plan. ,’ said Molly McCracken, CCPA-MB executive director and steering committee member of CCCM. ‘
It was recently announced KPMG consultants would be undertaking a review of the child care system. The scope, terms and cost of this contract have not been released to the public. Manitoba’s child care system is under severe strain. There are too few licensed child care spaces, over 16,500 names on the child care wait list (up from 12,000 in 2016), parent fees, while stable, are too high for many and less low income parents can access subsidized child care.
‘We are sounding the alarm on the state of child care in this province, and the lack of action from our government on creating an equitable, accessible, affordable and public system of care that benefits all Maniotban familes,’ said Brianne Goertzen, CCCM steering committee member, ‘It is imperative our elected leadership places the needs of children and the ECE workers who are shaping the future, as top of mind as opposed to passing the buck to the private sector where our children become a profit generating venture.’
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