Child care and early learning

EDMONTON - In response to the announcement of the expansion of for-profit child care under the $10-a-day child care framework agreement, child care advocacy organizations Child Care Now Alberta and Public Interest Alberta are raising concerns that the framework sacrifices quality in the system.

EDMONTON - To mark the National Day of Action for Child Care, Public Interest Alberta and Child Care Now Alberta joined early childhood educators, child care operators, and parents to demand that the government recognize the importance of quality in child care, and address the dire shortage of early childhood educators (ECEs). 

EDMONTON - In response to the announcement of a child care agreement between the Alberta provincial government and the federal government, Public Interest Alberta’s Executive Director, Bradley Lafortune, issued the following statement:

EDMONTON - In the wake of two elections, both federally and municipally, Public Interest Alberta has reaffirmed its commitment to mobilizing Albertans to win a comprehensive system of child care – one that is not only affordable to parents, but also accessible and features extensive investment into a critical workforce. The progressive and non-partisan advocacy organization has been campaigning for $10-a-day child care in Alberta since July 2021. 

EDMONTON - In response to UCP Minister of Children’s Services Rebecca Schulz comments regarding the Quebec-Canada agreement on a Canada-wide early learning and child care system, Bradley Lafortune, Executive Director of Public Interest Alberta, issued the following:

EDMONTON - In response to today’s announcement by the province that they had reached a new agreement regarding child care funding, Public Interest Alberta Executive Director, Bradley Lafortune, released the following statement, clarifying the matter and demanding the provincial government negotiate a real new deal on child care for Alberta families:

EDMONTON - Public Interest Alberta has launched a campaign for $10-a-day child care after the federal government announced a $30 billion dollar investment over the next 5 years, and both British Columbia and Nova Scotia have signed on.

As news broke that child care centres in Fort McMurray are facing an uncertain future as they were forced to close down operations to ensure the health and safety of their staff and the children they serve, Public Interest Alberta’s Executive Director Bradley Lafortune issued the following statement:

On Monday, April 19, the federal government announced a historic investment into child care, proposing to spend an additional $30 billion over the next 5 years, with the goal of establishing a nation-wide $10 per day child care system. 

This is wonderful news and long overdue. Child care costs can be one the the largest household expenses - sometimes the same cost as mortgage or rent. Access to high-quality, accessible, and affordable child care is a proven method for lowering the rates at which children experience poverty and reducing barriers for women. This investment is a gamechanger for working families all over the country. 

The Kenney government, however, has failed children and families by undercutting our public services, and the child care sector specifically. They continue to maintain the significant cuts they’ve made to the child care sector over the past two years. In addition to ending massively successful pilots like the $25-a-day child care program, the Kenney government has cut grants like the Benefit Contribution Grant and the Staff Attraction Incentive which help operators hire and retain highly-trained staff. The result is that the largely woman-dominated profession and the families who rely on child care are worse off than before. 

The federal government’s commitment offers a once in a generation opportunity for us here in Alberta, but the work is far from done. All of us must organize to win a reversal to the cuts and the government's corporatist agenda. We need to stand together and demand the provincial government match the federal investment. We need to dream big and fight together for the ultimate goal of universally-accessible, fully publicly-funded and publicly-delivered child care for every working family in Alberta.

We need your help! Will you join us in the fight for $10-a-day child care?

We want to hear from you! Send us a video about what $10-a-day child care would mean for your family! 

• Take a short (10 - 15 second) video on your cell phone filling in 1 - 2 sentences after "$10-a-day child care would mean...."
• Take it in landscape mode with good light in front of you

Our new Executive Director Brad Lafortune tried a couple of times to submit a video. 

His first attempt had some issues: 

❌ Too close 

❌ Too long

❌ In portrait mode 

❌ Too rambling and quiet 

After extensive consultation with our communications officer, his second try was much more successful! 

Here's what he did better:

✔ Great lighting (in front of him) 

✔ Good framing of face and shoulders 

✔ 1 - 2 sentences; directly to the point!

✔ In landscape mode

✔ Good speaking volume 

Great job Brad! 

Email Laura at [email protected] to submit your video! 

Together, we can create a nation-wide $10-a-day child care system!