Child Care Now
123 Slater Street, 6th Floor K1P5H2 Ottawa, ON, Canada

72% of child care centres were closed by the pandemic. More than one-third expressed concern about ever re-opening. Now is the time to push for a new normal for parents across the country and address the social inequities that #COVID19 has exposed. Endorse our plan so more parents can go back to work https://bit.ly/2DCk0Xj #ReconstructChildCare

My husband and I have had to be parents, teachers, friends, and everyone else to our kid. For the first 10 weeks of lockdown, we limited our interaction to the three of us in the house. On the upside, we have spent more time together as an immediate family than we had in a long time. I did start using vacation days on Fridays so we can catch up with school and have at least one day where Im not being pulled in multiple directions. We need a public universal child care syst...em that provides educational opportunities for kids in a safe and nourishing environment. A place where the workers are paid good wages for the important work they do. A place that lets kids thrive, with the right supports, and with lots of play and laughs. A place where kids are supported. This is Siobhans story. The old status quo for early learning and child care wasnt working for everyone. What should the new normal for child care look like? Tag your local MP and tell them your ideas on how we can #ReconstructChildCare in Canada. #ChildCareNow

#COVID19 has rolled my work, child care and home life into one big melting pot of soupy boundaries. I miss being able to take a business call without someone yelling at me from another floor to help them in the bathroom. As a single mum, I need child care that is affordable, regulated and accessible. Right now my child care costs the same as my mortgage, but I need it in order to work. Child care providers are underpaid for the enormous value of their work, but I also think the costs need to be subsidized by governments in order to make it viable for women to enter and remain in the workforce. This is Izzys story. Lets get Canada working again with child care https://bit.ly/2DCk0Xj #ReconstructChildCare

As Canada recovers from #COVID19, lets make child care affordable for all Canadians. Endorse and share our plan so we can #ReconstructChildCare https://bit.ly/2DCk0Xj #ChildCareNow

I have been consistently multitasking at all points of the day, or rigorously structuring everything to give a sense of normalcy. It has impacted the quality of my paid work substantially, but I feel like I have developed a lot of child care skills I didnt possess before. My home life has become somewhat more strained as the routine maintenance stuff is now impacted by dragging exhaustion that follows me from having to maintain such a delicate multitasking balance all day. We had child care before at a child care centre, so all my routines now involve some level of child care, recovery from child care, or preparation for child care. This is Nates story. Whats been the biggest change to your daily routine and parenting due to #COVID19? Share your experiences and tag your local MP so they hear why we need to #ReconstructChildCare.

Every aspect of my previous routine is no longer a part of my life. I lost control over my schedule, lost time for myself and my career, lost exercise, lost social life. My routine now revolves around the kids, with whom I gained precious time. As a family, we wake up later, eat together, go for a lot of walks, and play in all areas of the house. I am concerned that daycares will open very late and finding the position Im looking for at that time will be a challenge. Im also concerned that Ill lose childcare subsidy before I find full-time employment. I want affordable, quality child care available for every family in Canada who wants it. This is Naamas story. What are your concerns about child care centres and schools reopening? Tag your local MP and share your concerns with them so we can #ReconstructChildCare together.

We need bold leadership and accelerated federal funding so child care in Canada can move from the market-based model to a publicly managed and fully publicly funded system. Support and share our plan to make it happen https://bit.ly/2DCk0Xj #ReconstructChildCare #ChildCareNow

If you want to get an inkling of how your province/territory is spending the $625 million transferred by the federal government to help the child care sector reopen read these letters from each of the provinces/territories https://www.canada.ca//services/safe-restart-agreement.html

By helping parents get back to work, $10-a-day childcare will boost BCs economy right when we need it most. Its time to strengthen the services families depend on. With us? Add your name.

The stories of what it means not to get access to child care are pouring in and spreading over social media.

As a single parent, not having school left me scrambling to fill my eight-year-olds days. I have no local family and it was hard to approach potential caregivers as they were understandably worried about the risks of looking after a health care workers child. I did find someone who looks after him in the afternoons. In the mornings, I either work with him at home or I take him to the clinic with me. Neither are great options for a social, busy kid, but he has been surprisi...ngly adaptable, although work is definitely harder with him around. Ive done many meetings and interviews from my closet! Our home life has changed because we are always together, just the two of us, with few breaks. Most of the time were fine, but both of us snap at each other more easily now. I am constantly in meetings or on the phone for work which I know leaves my soon feeling like Im not listening to him. In a perfect Canada, there would be universal, affordable daycare for all. At this point in time, governments also need to consider care of older children over the next few months and possibly beyond when summer camps are reduced or cancelled. This is Monikas story. What does the new normal for child care look like to you? Share your ideas and tag your local MP so we can work together to #ReconstructChildCare.

While some parents are back at work, thats not the case for everyone. Parents need access to affordable child care that meets their diverse needs so everyone can return to work. Learn more about our plan https://bit.ly/2DCk0Xj #ReconstructChildCare #COVID19

This is an excellent segment from TV Ontarios main news show and features Carolyn Ferns, members of Child Care Nows Board of Directors. A must-see!

This is Stacys story. Share yours and endorse our plan so more parents can go back to work https://bit.ly/2DCk0Xj #ReconstructChildCare Like everyone with children, it is near impossible for us to put in a full paid work week. Although the pandemic has been a great chance to spend more time with our daughter, it is also very stressful to be simultaneously asked to be on top of emails, zoom meetings, teaching prep, research, and other service obligations. We try to limit... screen time when we are with our 2 year old, so now we work very early in the mornings and very late at night when she is sleeping. The combination of household chores, grocery shopping (which has also become very stressful), full time childcare, and full time work not to mention trying to follow the news has left us exhausted. Even still, it will be hard for all of us to re-adjust to spending more time indoors, living on a more regulated schedule, and going for 8 hours at a time without seeing each other.

From changes to their work schedule to school and child care closures, parents have seen their routines changed in an instant due to #COVID19. How have #COVID19 restrictions changed your day-to-day routines? Tag your local MP and tell them your pandemic parenting stories so we can work together and #ReconstructChildCare.

More and more organizations are picking up the message of Child Care Nows social media campaign. Its time to reconstruct Canada with #cdnchildcare

The construction of an accessible, affordable, and inclusive system of early learning and child care in Canada is essential if were to build a better future. Tag your MP and join our call for affordable #ChildCareNow https://bit.ly/2DCk0Xj #ReconstructChildCare

This is an excellent one-hour webinar answering the questions: Should National Childcare Be in the Throne Speech, hosted by the Pearson Centre. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pAisX73YCpUA

This is Briannes story. What do you want the new normal for child care to look like? Share your ideas and experiences (and tag your local MP ) so we can #ReconstructChildCare. Like all parents, I am concerned about the health and safety of my child. My son has asthma, which places him in a higher risk category for #COVID19. This has resulted in another level of concern regarding safety measures in our schools and child care centres. I am worried our child care centres wil...l not be able to stay open because of shrinking operating grants and no increased funding to handle the additional health and safety measures needed to ensure the safety of children and staff. I would love to have a universal, fully-accessible, publicly-funded, non-profit system of comprehensive and high-quality child care, with worthy wages and good working conditions for childcare staff across Canada. In order for this to happen, there needs to be clear leadership from our federal government to provide a national child care framework with dedicated funding and oversight.

Before the pandemic, early learning and child care in Canada was fragile because it is market-based, fragmented, and under-funded. Now is our chance to rebuild child care across the country and heres our plan A strategy for recovery: Making affordable child care for ALL a reality to make happen https://bit.ly/2DCk0Xj #ChildCareNow

We spend a lot more time with our children, and for this, we are blessed. Our lives are much less rushed, but equally as busy. Weve traded the stress of rush hour traffic and synchronizing daycare/school/work schedules for a different juggling actwearing multiple hats at the same time. We work our half day at work, then our half day with the kids. After meals, baths, and bedtime, we often work for another few hours to catch up. It leaves very little time for us to relax, u...nwind, and enjoy some time to ourselves. Sometimes it means we are more impatient, crankier. And while we are so grateful to still have jobs and to spend more time with our little ones, sometimes we feel overwhelmed by it all. Its hard to be everything for a child: parent, child care provider, homeschool teacher, social network. I find myself wishing that I could drop off my kids in a safe place for a couple of hours and catch by breath. I worry that, in order to ensure physical distancing, our days or hours at the child care centre will be limited, or that we will lose our spot. I wonder how long my employer will understand, how far their patience reaches. This is Anne-Maries story. What are your concerns about sending your children back to school or child care? Tag your local MP and tell them your story so we can #ReconstructChildCare now.

"Child care requires a short-term strategy to weather the pandemic and longer-term, system-wide reforms to improve accessibility and affordability." So says the Ontario Chamber of Commerce in its new report on the gendered impacts of COVID-19 on Ontario. It includes recommendations to the federal government on child care. https://occ.ca/wp-content/uploads/OCC-shecovery-final.pdf

"A federal plan could encourage provinces and territories to take on robust public management of early learning and childcare services that is needed to deliver whats been lacking so far an expanded, reliable, high-quality system of safe care, with decent work for childcare workers, and broad access at no or low cost to parents. Using a 100 cent federal dollar (not cost shared), and tying that money to clear goals and outcomes, we could develop such a system, increasing fo...cus on early learning for pre-schoolers and before-and-after-school activities and learning supports for the school-aged, with the ultimate goal of making well-trained, well-staffed, high quality early childhood education an integral part of public education. What we cant afford to do is stand by and let capacity collapse. But this is so much more than making sure mommy can go back to work. We are reliant on todays children to maintain everyones standard of living tomorrow. Whether we invest in these young lives or not, we will reap what we sow." Check out the full memo to federal Cabinet members drafted by economist and Atkinson Foundation fellow Armine Yalnizyan https://atkinsonfoundation.ca/atkin//maximizing-potential/ See more

Parents shouldnt have to choose between their family and career. We can build a better future for parents and children across the country. Share your #COVID19 parenting stories and support our plan A strategy for recovery: Making affordable child care for ALL a reality so we can all have new normal for child care in Canada https://bit.ly/2DCk0Xj #ChildCareNow

Child Care Nows ED was pleased to join CBCs Saskatchewan program, Blue Sky, to take part in a call-in show about child care. Click on the big empty black box below to link to the program.

Having lost my commute (by bicycle) and access to our child care facility, plus my husbands lay off, it has become very difficult to secure me time. Breaks from work are now almost always child care breaks (as my husband needs a break too!). I do love getting to spend more time with my daughter, but that can be challenging when in a fast-paced work environment. When the restrictions are lifted, we will need to get our second income back. But my job may not be back in off...ice yet. Without childcare, Im not sure how Ill be able to structure my day Im not very productive on little sleep or working in the evenings. If he gets a position where he needs to work somewhere else during the day, I dont know if hell be able to take it. This is Annes story. What are your concerns about going back to work as restrictions are being lifted and children go back to school? Tag your local MP and tell them why we need to #ReconstructChildCare now.

Lets rebuild a child care system that works for everyone. Share and endorse our plan for #ChildCareNow https://bit.ly/2DCk0Xj #ReconstructChildCare

Im a teacher, so COVID-19 turned my world upside down. My wife and I have six kids at home with us. Five of them are usually at schoolsome with accommodations for their special needs. Our baby has been the little troublemaker because he is 20 months old and is constantly trying to touch everything. We had to give up on homeschooling because it just wasnt manageable with my long work hours. I dont really have work hours anymore, which makes me feel like Im constantly w...orking. The new normal for child care should be accessible to all Canadiansregardless of their situation, but also respectful of their needs. Our children have special needs but theyre also francophones. We need a daycare that will be suitable for them and respect their identities. Diversity is also important because were two moms and our kids are black. This is Maryles story. How has #COVID19 impacted your work, child care, and home life? Tag your local MP and tell them your story so we can #ReconstructChildCare together.

Before parents can return to work, they need access to affordable child care programs that meet their diverse needs. Now is the time to push for a new normal for parents across the country. Together, we can #ReconstructChildCare. Share and support our plan for recovery from #COVID19 https://bit.ly/2DCk0Xj #ChildCareNow

This #LabourDay is one for the history books. Months into the #COVID19 pandemic, many Canadians are still out of work, some are working remotely, and others cant go back to work without child care. Lets get Canada working again with child care https://bit.ly/2DCk0Xj #CDNChildcare

The NDP call for an immediate cash infusion is a good one, said Morna Ballantyne, executive director of the national advocacy organization Child Care Now. But Ottawa should commit even more funding than the NDP suggests to fully establish a quality, affordable, and accessible federal child-care system, said Ballantyne. Particularly as we suspect discussions will be underway now around what will be in the next budget, she said.... The federal government should launch a multi-year spending plan on child care starting with a $2-billion investment in 2021, and adding $2 billion each year after that, she said.

The publicly-funded system of CPE (licensed child care centres) in Quebec have been sustained through the pandemic. They stayed open throughout serving workers deemed essential during the full economy shutdown and reopened to all before other provinces. This parent explains that despite the problems and weaknesses of the Quebec governments approach to early learning and child care, CPEs have served children and parents well.

CBCs Carole MacNeil interviewed Child Care Now Executive Director Morna Ballantyne about the open letter to Prime Minister Trudeau and Deputy Prime Minister (and now also Finance Minister) Freeland calling for a fast start to building a proper pan-Canadian system of early learning and child care. Check it out. https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/1775193667965

The House of Commons unanimously adopted a motion calling for an additional $2 billion in immediate support to Canadas child care sector so that it can reopen fully and provide a safe and high quality learning environment for children and all staff who work in the sector. This would help parents with young children in their struggles to balance paid work and parenting during the pandemic. This would bring federal support for the restart of the sector to $2.6 billion -- exactly what we have been asking for. The motion is unfortunately not binding on the government but it is nevertheless a hugely important development. Thank you to the NDP for introducing the motion.