An estimated 776,000 of non-school-aged children – 44 per cent – live in what is termed “child-care deserts” in Canada, where the number of children outstrips the available spaces in licensed homes and centres, including nearly all postal codes in Burnaby, according to a new study released by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives.
“For the first time in Canada, this report maps a complete list of licensed child-care spaces against the number of children in a given postal code,” said a news release. “Similar to the food desert concept, child-care deserts are postal code areas with three or more children per licensed space.
“Rising child care fees are a barrier for parents and can fluctuate wildly depending on where you live. Now we have found there is even greater variability in child-care coverage rates than in fees,” says study author and CCPA senior economist David Macdonald. “Policies to improve access to child care will clearly have to take both fees and availability into account.”
The study didn't take into account unlicensed daycare because there is no exhaustive list of spaces Canada-wide.
Researchers found cities in provinces that take a more active role in regulating child care were more likely to have broader coverage, compared with those provinces that took a hands-off approach to regulation and let the market dictate prices and locations of spaces.
- With files from Canadian Press
