I never understood, or really cared about childcare before I had my son.

I’d heard co-workers discussing the expense and while I was utterly dumbfounded by the amount of money they were spending each month for daycare, the initial shock quickly dissipated because it wasn’t relevant to me.

Since having a child (now two) I got to relive the shock of childcare costs when I started searching for a daycare provider.

As all parents know, or at least the ones who are fortunate enough to have some choice, when it comes to daycare it’s not just about finding the cheapest option.

When you’re searching for childcare you want to find a place that feels safe and comfortable.

You want to connect with the provider(s), you want to feel like they’ll love, or at least really care for, you little one while you aren’t there.

This isn’t always easy to find and it’s rarely affordable.

Us vs. Them

Government funded childcare is one of those topics that can lead to some heated and divisive conversations.

Usually, but not always, it’s a matter of us (parents) vs them (non-parents). The argument goes like this…

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Us: “The cost of childcare is crippling. We need government funded childcare programs.”

Them: “Why should my tax dollars go towards paying for your kids childcare? You’re the one that decided to have kids.”

Us: “Why should my tax dollars go towards paying for your medical bills when you decide to smoke, drink, speed…” “Why should my tax dollars go towards new roads and bridges when I don’t drive.” Why should my tax dollars go towards a new museum, stadium……etc.

Bottom line…we all pay for shit that isn’t directly relevant or beneficial to us.

In my opinion, universal childcare is for the betterment of society as a whole. I challenge you to find an investment more important than our children.

Affordable Childcare….the Fight of the Millennial Women?

In order to get to where we are today women in the past have sacrificed a lot. Their time, money, energy, reputations, relationships etc. to fight for the things they believe in.

They’re the reason women can vote, they’re the reason women have access to birth control and the right to have an abortion. They’re the reason that we can get a formal post-secondary education and be anything we want to be.

When I think about my generation I wonder, what is our contribution to the world? How are we making society better?

I’m very proud to be a millennial women.

I’m very proud to be a women in general. I think we’re a group of strong, empowered individuals. A group who has a voice and isn’t afraid to use it. A group who can ban together and move mountains when we collectively work towards a goal or cause.

When I think about the mark I want to make on society, the contribution I want to be a part of, it keeps coming back to childcare because I honestly can’t believe the burden we put on parents.

The cost of having my 2 year old son in daycare full time is $1600.00/month.

With the recent birth of our second son I’m already stressing out about how we will float the $3100.00/month price tag (we get a $100.00 discount for having two children in the same daycare….nice but it hardly makes a dent).

This will be nearly impossible for my husband and I to pay for and maintain any semblance of our normal saving/spending habits. And, although we make a decent income we’re already living a frugal life. There aren’t a lot of places to cut.

For families, or single parents, that don’t pull in a generous paycheck each month I can’t imagine the financial burden.

Sure, there are government subsidies to help low income families pay for care but is this enough?

What about the middle class families that make too much to qualify for subsidies but not enough to have any extra room in their budget once they pay for the necessities of life and child care.  

Yes, I know it was my choice to have children. I maintain it was the best decision my husband and I have ever made. I would never go back.

And someone will always tell you, “it’s your decision to work, if childcare is so expensive then why don’t you stay at home?”

Well, because we can’t afford it. We can’t afford it financially and we can’t afford for one of us to fall out of the workforce and then struggle to re-enter when our children are old enough to go to school.

For some, being a stay at home parent is a privilege that they can afford. For others, being a stay at home parent is a necessity. It’s a choice they might not make if they could afford to have three kids in daycare full time.

Then there’s the argument, “well why have children if you’re just going to put them in daycare.”

Again, sometimes this is a choice, sometimes it isn’t. One thing I can say for sure, it’s really no one else’s business other than the parents.

Working gives parents an identity outside of being a “mom” or “dad.” Working allows us to feel like contributing members of society. Working allows us to express our creativity and have adult conversations.

And guess what, you can work and still be a damn good parent. My husband and I are doing it right now. So are all of my friends.

The point is, parents deserve the right to choose.  

Affordable Childcare: Case Studies

I invite you to poke holes in my opinions and arguments. That’s fine. I expect it. But there are places around the world where childcare costs are subsidized by the government and the results are largely positive.

Alberta: Some of this work is happening in my own province.

In 2017 the NDP Government introduced a three year pilot program called “The Early Learning and Childcare Centres Program.” This program provides childcare to families for a cost of $25.00 per day.

The program has been very successful but the problem in availability.

There are simply not enough spots to go around. The waitlist at some locations exceeds three year. Other locations have simply removed their waitlist because the demand is so great.

Quebec: In 1997 Quebec launched the “family policy.” Initially the day care fee was set at $5.00 per day regardless of income.

In 2004 the price was increase to $7.00 per day and then in 2014 a sliding scale was initiated based on family income.

As of January 2019 the basic amount for day care is $8.25 per day, per child. For families that earn an income of $52, 220 or less, there are no additional charges. For families that earn between $52,220 – $78, 320, they pay an additional $0.70 per day, for a total rate of $8.95.

As income increases further the contribution by parents increase until it hits a max of $13.90 per day (income of $166,320).

For families that have two children, they would pay the max amount for the first child and then the additional contribution is reduce by 50% for the second child. For families with three or more children there is no additional contribution cost.

The idea of paying between $8.25-$13.90 per day sounds like a fairytale. We currently pay over $75.00 per day.

This program has allowed for 80% of Quebec mothers to participate in the workforce. Now, this brings up the moral argument, shouldn’t parents (not just mothers) be at home with their children? Shouldn’t they be the ones raising them?

And, yes, I believe the parents should be around as much as possible but affordable childcare gives parents the choice to work full time or maybe even part time.

Parents should have a choice and they shouldn’t have to stay at home if it means a lower quality of life for them and their children because they can’t afford childcare.

And for all the people that complain about their tax dollars going towards other peoples childcare.

More working mothers leads to greater tax revenue. This increased productivity essentially results in the childcare programs paying for themselves…and then some.

Sweden: Parents living in Sweden have a pretty sweet deal. According to an article by the World Economic Forum, Sweden is the “best country to be a parent.” Here are a few of the reasons why:

• Parents are given up to 480 days of leave with 390 of those days at 80% pay and then remaining 90 days paid at a flat rate.
• Parents can choose how they want to split the days but there is a minimum period of three months for each parent and this is non-transferable. Meaning, if one of the parents decides not to use it, then they lose it.
• Also get 120 days of sick leave to care for sick children up to the age of 12 at close to 80% of their pay, which comes from the government.
• Parents can also ask for up to 60 days worth of compensation to cover for when their caregiver is sick and they have to stay home with their child as well as time to take their children to different appointments (doctor, dentist etc.)

This sounds pretty amazing! And I know what the taxes are like in Sweden and honestly, for all of the social programs they offer and the high quality of life people experience I’d be more then willing to pay.

Life it about more then money and what’s wrong with helping each other out?

Argument Against Government Funded Programs

No solution is perfect. There will be pro’s and con’s on each side of the childcare argument.

One of the main arguments against government funded programs, one that comes up alot when researching Quebec’s program, is that with more affordable care comes a lower standard of care.

Not ideal.

I don’t want my child getting sub-par care and childcare workers deserve to make a good living. I can’t imagine a more demanding job. However, there must be some middle ground.

Maybe the answer isn’t government funded childcare. Maybe the answer is more social programs like the Canada Child Benefit.

Perhaps we need to increase the amount of childcare that can be claimed on taxes.

In Canada you can claim a max amount of $8000 for children under 7 years old and $5000 for children 7-16 years. This is great and I’m happy to have it but when childcare costs come close to $20,000.00 per year, per child, is this enough?

I don’t think so.

Maybe companies could offer more flexible work schedules like working three long days per week, or working more evenings and weekends. This would allow parents to work full time or adjust their schedules so that they can be home more with their children.

If companies could even consider working around school schedules so parents didn’t have to pay for before/after child care, this could help to reduce the financial burden so it doesn’t go on until the child is old enough to care for themselves.

This could also allow parents to be at home with their children after school to ensure they are doing their homework and staying out of trouble.

I obviously don’t have a perfect solution, this is a super complex and hot button topic, but I think it’s important that we have these conversations.

One thing I can say with certainty, the solution to expensive childcare is not to blame parents for being parents and decide that the burden of expensive care is solely theirs.

It is often said that it takes a village to raise a child. I’ll take it a step further, I think it takes a society to raise a child.

If people could put aside their selfish claims that they shouldn’t have to pay taxes for education or child care because they don’t have children then we could start to work together to find solutions that actually work.

It actually makes me a bit sick that we live in a society where our values are so backwards. It’s more important to make as much money as we possibly can so we can go and buy more crap BUT when it comes to things like children, education and healthcare no one wants to pay.

What do you think?

Do you have any constructive ideas for how we can help parents gain access to more affordable childcare?

All pictures from unsplash