Quality child care is expensive and spaces are limited. Nine thousand families in Ottawa are currently on the waiting list for licensed child care spaces.

“Child care is our society’s signal that we really value children” said Paul Dewar. “Without a strong commitment to child care, we undermine not only our children’s future but our community’s strength.”

In the next Parliament, New Democrats will establish and fund a Canada-wide child care and early learning program, enshrined in law, with the following goals:

• The creation of new public and non-profit child care spaces over the next four years;
• Improvements to community infrastructure to support quality and access in child care;
• The creation of integrated, community-based, child-centred early learning and education centres that provide parents with a “one-stop shop” for family services.

“The cost of child care takes a real toll on the budgets of young families” said Erika Shaker. “It’s time for federal government to take a leadership role in building new child care spaces right here in our community.”

“The government should emphasize community-based not for profit programs integrating early childhood education and child care” said Laura Robertson, an early childhood educator at the Glebe Parents’ Day Care.

New Democrats are committing $3.3 billion over the next four years to create new child care spaces as part of our fully-costed platform with a balanced budget in 2014-2015.