Sounding the Alarm: COVID-19’s impact on Canada’s precarious child care sector
David Macdonald and Martha Friendly recently released Sounding the Alarm: COVID-19’s impact on Canada’s precarious child care sector, part of a series of reports published annually since 2014 by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA). The report offers timely information about full-time, regulated child care for children 5 and under, based on a survey of Canadian cities conducted between September and November of 2020. This year's survey focused on tracking child care fees and the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the child care sector.
The report includes evidence about the state of early learning and care in Edmonton in 2020. Some important results include:
Median monthly child care fees in Edmonton have risen to $1,050 for infants, $950 for toddlers, and $925 for preschool-aged children.
The survey found that there has been significant decreases in child care enrolment in Edmonton during the pandemic. Of the surveyed Edmonton centres, 6% reported raising their child care fees due to COVID-19.