The Manitoban

A University of Manitoba report, by child care consultants Betty and Wayne Kelly, by the title "Moving Child Care Forward at the University of Manitoba: BAckground, Analysis and Recommendations" was recently released showing that child care is largely unaffordable and therefore unaccessible for the U of M students, parents and faculty. 

There is a desperate need for more child care spaces on campus at an affordable cost.  

The report outlines the challenges facing student parents who must juggle between their obligation to their children and their study commitments, arguing that many parents either do not have access to child care at the U of M or simply cannot afford child care fees on top of their tuition payments.

Access and affordability are emphasis throughout the report, while pointing out the subsidies are very limited to those making over $28,354 per year.

Susan Prentice estimates that around 16 per cent of Canadian post-secondary students are parents, with a third of Canadian indigenous and international students also looking after young children. Without a full provincial subsidy, these students pay more for child care than they do for tuition, she said. 

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