Federal and provincial governments have embarked on a major undertaking to build systems of early learning and child care across Canada that meet high standards for quality, affordability, accessibility, inclusion, and flexibility. The success of this plan—the Canada-Wide Early Learning and Care (CWELCC) initiative—will depend partly on whether changes to early learning and care meet the needs and expectations of parents. To learn about parents’ views, the Alberta Parent Survey on Early Learning and Child Care was conducted in 2022 with over 1400 parents in Alberta with young children. The present report, one in a series based on this survey, is focused on affordability. Parents’ Views About the Affordability of Early Learning and Child Care in Alberta includes detailed findings and recommendations for optimizing the way in which the CWELCC is implemented in Alberta.

The Cost Control Framework and For-Profit Expansion Plan, released in January 2023, is intended to be an important step in implementing Alberta’s version of a Canada-wide system of early learning and child care. This two-page summary of Questions About the Cost-Control Framework and For-Profit Expansion Plan provides a brief overview of (a) the cost-control framework and expansion plan and (b) six critical questions that must be addressed as Alberta attempts to build an effective system of early learning and child care.

The Cost Control Framework and For-Profit Expansion Plan, released in January 2023, is intended to be an important step in implementing Alberta’s version of a Canada-wide system of early learning and child care. It provides insights into the intentions of the Alberta government, but the absence of critical details makes it difficult to anticipate what lies ahead.

In this paper, Jennifer Fischer-Summers examines the accessibility, affordability, quality, flexibility, and inclusivity of early learning and child care in Edmonton day homes. The paper provides a summary of interviews with licensed family day home agencies in Edmonton. The findings highlight some considerable variations that exist between and within Edmonton family day homes and agencies.

This brief provides an overview of the state of early learning and child care in Edmonton family day homes and agencies.

The Government of Alberta has released its plan to reduce child care fees in Alberta by an average of 50% by early 2022. Under this plan, every family’s out-of-pocket fees will decrease, but lower-income families will not see a 50% decrease—and some may see a decrease of less than 15%.

In this report, Margot R. Challborn examines the role of municipalities in creating and leading early learning and care policy development. Specifically, this report outlines why cities can and should play a role in early learning and care.

In this brief, Rob Buschmann, Miranda Brown, and Gordon Cleveland provide an overview and analysis of the two major federal early learning and child care plans (Liberal and Conservative) and analyze their effects on early learning and child care affordability for an example family in Calgary. Both the Liberal and Conservative plans would help, but the Liberal plan would make early learning and child care considerably more affordable for the example family at all levels of income.

The Edmonton Council for Early Learning and Care recommends 13 actions that can be taken by Alberta Children’s Services and that will support many families, contribute to economic and social recovery from the COVID pandemic, and help to address some of the critical priorities of EndPovertyEdmonton.

In this brief, Rob Buschmann provides an overview and analysis of the September 2021 changes to Alberta's child care subsidies.

The Edmonton Council for Early Learning and Care has identified 10 recommended actions that can be taken by the City of Edmonton in support of early learning and care.

The Edmonton Council for Early Learning and Care recommends 5 actions that can be taken by School Boards and that will support many families, contribute to economic and social recovery from the COVID pandemic, and help to address some critical educational priorities.

In this brief, Rob Buschmann and Jennifer Fischer-Summers provide an overview of the latest fees for licensed early learning and care in Calgary. They show that 2020 continues an ongoing trend of early learning and care fees outpacing inflation in the city since 2014. Finally, they discuss what fees in Calgary might look like in 2021.

In this brief, Rob Buschmann and Jennifer Fischer-Summers provide an update on the latest fees for licensed early learning and care in Edmonton. They also show that 2020 continues an ongoing trend of early learning and care fees outpacing inflation in the city since 2014. Finally, they discuss what fees in Edmonton might look like in 2021.

The Child Care Act and Regulation provides the legislative basis for early learning and care in Alberta. The Act has undergone review by the Ministry of Children’s Services, and a new Act was tabled in the Legislature in November 2020. This report is a comprehensive review of how jurisdictions can, and do, support quality in early learning and care through a combination of regulation and other policy vehicles and mechanisms.

Provides an introduction to child care subsidies in Alberta, outlines and analyzes some of the recent changes to subsidies, provides suggestions for improving the subsidy system and the general affordability of early learning and care in Alberta, and concludes by providing some perspective on the role of affordability within a high-quality early learning and care system.

Provides an introduction to child care subsidies in Alberta, outlines and analyzes some of the recent changes to subsidies, provides suggestions for improving the subsidy system and the general affordability of early learning and care in Alberta, and concludes by providing some perspective on the role of affordability within a high-quality early learning and care system.

This brief describes three reasons that early learning and care should be a core part of any Edmonton-specific COVID-19 recovery plan.

This brief highlights particular questions surrounding the affordability of early learning and care in day homes during and after the COVID-19 crisis.