Public Policy and Public Funding Implications of Child Care Research

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Public Policy and Public Funding Implications of
Child Care Research
Columbia Institute Beyond the Status Quo
Conference March 28 2008
Lynell Anderson, B. Comm, CGA Senior Researcher
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Social Economic Benefits ? Specific Public
Policy and Funding Implications

• Conclusive evidence that
• If quality child care services, all children
  benefit vulnerable children additional benefits
  
• Benefits for both targeted and universal
  approaches - outweigh costs
• Vulnerability across socioeconomic spectrum ?
• Positive return on public investment if quality,
  universal child care services achieved

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Social Economic Benefits ? Specific Public
Policy and Funding Implications

• Today, 3 key points
• While fragile, existing community assets
  (programs and people) provide starting place
• Fundamental shift in public policy, funding and
  accountability for public goals required
  grounded in evidence and community, OECD
  recommendations
• We can do it (and if we dont, the child care
  issue wont go away).

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Our Public Investment in Education

• OECD ranking
• 41 countries (including U.S.) 10 provinces
• Overall, BC 3rd (Reading), 5th (Math), 6th
  (Science Problem-Solving)
• BC Ministry of Education 2007/08 Service Plan

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Rate of access to ELCC programs for 3-6 year olds
Data source OECD. (2006). Starting Strong II
Early Childhood Education and Care. Country
Profiles. AU, CZ, FI, HU, NL, UK Estimated
(averaged across ages 3-6) DE Estimated
(averaged across ABL and NBL) CA Children 0-6
in child care including regulated family day care
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Spending on ELCC programs
Data source OECD. (2006). Starting Strong II
Early Childhood Education and Care. Annex C, pg.
246.
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OECD Recommendations 8 Key Policy Elements

• Systematic integrated policy
• Strong equal partnership with education
• Universal access (fees, spaces, inclusion)
• Substantial public investment
• Participatory approach to quality
• Appropriate staff training, working conditions
• Systematic attention to monitoring, data
  collection
• Framework for research and evaluation

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• Has evidence influenced public policy?
• Yes, but partial solutions, given conflicted
  societal values about role of
• Women ? reluctance to extend collective,
  publicly-funded approach to working mothers
• Government ? reluctance to introduce significant
  publicly funded system in the new public
  management era
• Partial solutions Parenting resources/programs.
  Free drop-in/part-time early learning programs
  trained staff children attend with parents/other
  adults. Relatively low public investment
  required.

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BC Communities
Public Health
Libraries
Education
1 - Licensed Child Care (family centre-based
part-time (preschool) full-time)
Parks Rec
Parenting and Early Learning Programs
Other Public Community Agencies
Child Welfare
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Comprehensive, integrated plan with targets
required

• As OECD and community recommend move from user
  fees to direct public funding of child care
  services, with coordinated policy and
  accountability for achieving public goals of
• Quality improved compensation for trained staff
• Affordability reduced parent fees, with
  subsidies
• Accessibility - expand spaces, with inclusion
• When child care is both affordable and
  accessible for all, including children needing
  additional supports, its essentially universal.

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• national and provincial policy for early
  education and care of young children in Canada
  still in initial stages.
• Care and education still treated separately and
  coverage low compared to other OECD countries.
• Over coming years, significant energies and
  funding need to be invested to create universal
  system in tune with
• needs of full employment economy
• gender equity
• new understandings of how young children develop
  and learn.
• OECD (condensed) 2004

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Child Care System Implementation Model Developed
by Lynell Anderson, B. Comm, CGA Through
YWCA Canada and Child Care Advocacy Association
of Canada (with funding from Government of
Canadas Social Development Partnerships
Program) Based on Twenty years of work with
ECEs and families From Patchwork to Framework A
Child Care Strategy for Canada with additional
thanks to Dan Rosen, Consultant and Ellen
Larcombe, Human Early Learning Partnership (HELP)