Pushback on childcare cash cast `dark cloud' on good news: mother
When Heidi Bergstrom heard about the federal government's plan to create $10-a-day childcare spaces by 2026, the Camrose mother of two was elated.
“I texted my husband: `So ... we can have a third?”
The couple spends $1,700 a month on childcare, and without a major cut to costs it would be difficult for them to have another child.
“One of us would have to quit our jobs,” Bergstrom said.
Her excitement over the initiative, announced in Monday's federal budget, deflated the next day when she heard the Alberta government's reaction to it.
Premier Jason Kenney balked at the federal policy, saying that at first glance it looked like an “Ottawa-style” program that wouldn't work for Albertans.
“It's only for a kind of cookie-cutter, nine-to-five, urban, government and union-run institutional daycare options, which excludes the vast majority of parents,” he said, adding that the province would push for maximum flexibility so Alberta's stay-at-home and shift-working parents don't get left behind.
The federal plan would require a 50-50 split with provinces, and aims to cut average fees in half by the end of 2022.
For Bergstrom, the UCP government's reaction was disappointing.
“They really put a dark cloud on the excitement,” she said.
If Alberta doesn't take advantage of the funding, Bergstrom said her family would seriously consider leaving the province.
“I know it sounds dramatic, and it wouldn't be the only deciding factor for us, but if a family can move to British Columbia and raise their kids for a fraction of the costs, that's a pretty big draw,” she said.
The cash would support primarily not-for-profit sector childcare providers, focusing on building up capacity and training early childhood educators, according to the budget.
Private centres might still get cash as part of the federal plan, and while licensed spaces are included, unlicensed, unregulated programs aren't yet. Over five years, $2.5 billion is earmarked for Indigenous early learning and childcare.
Federal Women and Gender Equality and Rural Economic Development Minister Maryam Monsef said in an interview Wednesday the goal of the budget is to get people to work and back to work, especially women hit hardest by the economic downturn due to COVID-19.
“We're not going to make the mistakes that were made in the previous recession — we're not going to wait a decade so that women can get back to work,” said Monsef.
Monsef said early learning and childcare programs like the one proposed in the budget will help hundreds of thousands of parents, and pointed to the Canada Child Benefit remaining in place for those families who choose to care for their children.
“For us, that debate has been settled,” she said, referring to research that low-fee childcare programs generate economic boosts and government revenue that can more than cover the additional system costs.
`COMMITTED TO NEGOTIATIONS'
Edmonton mother Leah Copeland spends $1,100 per month for childcare for her 21/2-year-old. She said she was skeptical the UCP would pitch in on the $10-a-day plan, but is optimistic about a robust, public discussion.
“It's an investment in people capital that we don't spend enough money on right now,” said Copeland, adding money saved by her family would go directly into the local economy.
Alberta is still awaiting details on the federal plan. In an interview Wednesday, Children's Services Minister Rebecca Schulz said the province doesn't want funding to be allocated to specific facilities and areas of the province. She added she's heard concerns from private operators about being left out.
“(Childcare) doesn't look the same for every community and it certainly doesn't look the same for every family,” said Schulz.
Alberta has the highest support in the country — at 65 per cent — for cheques that go directly to families for childcare rather than system funding for operators, according to a March Angus Reid survey.
Still, Schulz said Federal Families, Children and Social Development Minister Ahmed Hussen promised flexibility on the program during a phone call on budget day, a pledge echoed by Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland.
“I am absolutely committed to negotiations with the federal government,” she said.
`WE DO NOT SEE ANY EXCUSES'
Jennifer Usher, a spokeswoman for the Association of Early Childhood Educators of Alberta, said there is no reason the UCP should not be on board with the federal plan. “We do not see any excuses, why they wouldn't want to be part of history,” she said.
Usher said the COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the need for sustainable support for operators, which are heavily reliant on fees from parents.
Contrary to Kenney's comments, Usher said she was not aware of a single union-run childcare program in the province.
Alberta NDP Leader Rachel Notley said Tuesday the UCP needs to commit to the program immediately, and claimed its use of the buzzwords “choice” and “flexibility” signalled inadequate funding.
“It's absolutely, unquestionably the best investment that any level of government can make in economic recovery,” said Notley.
February's provincial budget estimated $386 million for childcare this year.