NewsBite

Opinion

Jessica Rudd

Childcare is about kids’ learning, not just getting women into work

Childcare needs qualified staff who can trigger the start of the education process, not mere childminders to enable the lifting of workforce numbers.

Jessica RuddParenting advocate

Subscribe to gift this article

Gift 5 articles to anyone you choose each month when you subscribe.

Subscribe now

Already a subscriber?

About 25 years ago an experiment took place in Quebec, Canada.

Workforce participation among women was low because early childhood education and care (ECEC) was too expensive and not available. The solution dreamt up by Quebec’s policymakers was to offer daycare services to children at the reduced parental contribution of $5 per child per day for children aged 0 to 5 years, and the number of available spaces doubling to 163,000 by the end of 2002.

Loading...
Jessica Rudd is chief executive of The Parenthood

Subscribe to gift this article

Gift 5 articles to anyone you choose each month when you subscribe.

Subscribe now

Already a subscriber?

Read More

Latest In Health & education

Fetching latest articles

Most Viewed In Policy

    Original URL: https://www.afr.com/policy/health-and-education/childcare-is-about-kids-learning-not-just-getting-women-into-work-20230716-p5dokr