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On March 31, 2015 the Parliamentary Budget Officer (PBO) released a report on the UCCB “How much does the Federal Government spend on Child Care and who benefits?”

The watchdog’s report found that under the Tories’ proposed Universal Child Care Benefit extension 51% of the spending will go to families with no child care expenses and with older children.

Many media and advocacy responses to the report all sing the same tune: the UCCB is not child care policy and does not help families to access child care or create more child care spaces.

The Toronto Star’s take: “Families without child care costs get most of Tories child care spending”

Thank you to parent leaders, Eitan Grispun and Charlotte Genoa, who raised their voices and were featured in this article. Both Eitan and Charlotte are part of the OCBCC’s blossoming parent network.

“‘Sure, every little bit helps. But it’s still a huge struggle. I have had to take out a bank loan just to keep them in care,’ said Grispun, 40.”

“New mother Charlotte Genoa, 28, has resigned herself to staying home until her daughter Daisy, 5 months old, starts school. ‘It’s so expensive in Toronto and the waiting lists are so long,’ she said, noting that prices in her Parkdale neighbourhood start at $100 a day for infants.”

A few important things to know from the report:

• Much of the current funding (34%) goes to families with no child care expenses and with older children;
• The proposed expansion will exacerbate this: the PBO calculates that in 2015, more than half the money (51%) will go to families with no child care expenses and with older children;
• With the announced enhancements, the cost of the UCCB and CCED will grow to almost $8 billion in 2017-2018;
• “Families with young children will receive half (49%) the federal child care benefits in 2015-2016 but their share will only cover 67% of the amount they will spend [collectively]on child care while funds families with older children will receive eight times the amount they will spend on child care”;
• The PBO observes that “the UCCB and CCED have conflicting incentives with respect to their impact on labour force participation”

Please visit our website and to read the CCAAC/OCBCC response.

If you have any questions or comments please feel free to contact us at: [email protected]

Monday April 20th is Equal Pay Day in Ontario

A publicly funded child care system key to closing the gender wage gap. Joint statement from OCBCC, AECEO and CRRU for Equal Pay Day 2015.

What can you do?

•  Wear red to show that women's wages are in the red and share a photo with a message on social media. Tweet to @EqualPayON and share it with us too at @ChildCareON
•  Watch the Equal Pay Coalition's excellent (and fun!) video on the gender wage gap.  Learn more about the wage gap.
•  Read and share: "Why do women still earn so much less than men?", Toronto Star, April 18, 2015