Since 1997, Québec’s social policy regime—especially it’s affordable childcare program—has supported families. With Canada’s new childcare plan now in development, many within government are citing Québec’s childcare network as a successful model to follow—however, it is not without challenges.
Dr. Sophie Mathieu, Senior Program Specialist at the Vanier Institute of the Family and Co-Investigator in the Reimagining Care/Work Policies research program, explains in this video how Québec’s childcare network works, what it gets right, and what should be improved upon as Canada develops is national childcare program.
The supply has never been able to meet the demand. Although we have a high proportion of children within childcare centres, parents are still struggling to find a childcare space.
– Dr. Sophie Mathieu
This video was created by team members working on the Reimagining Care/Work Policies project, funded by a SSHRC Partnership Grant (PI Andrea Doucet), to support teaching and learning on Canadian family policy.
Please cite as: Mathieu, S., Sasso, M., McKay, L., & Thompson, K. (2022) Childcare in Québec, Featuring Dr. Sophie Mathieu [Video]. Reimagining Care/Work Policies. https://rcwproject.ca/
Additional learning materials to adopt/adapt:
Sources:
[1] Cleveland, G., Mathieu, S., & Japel, C. (2021, February 18). What is “the Quebec model” of early learning and child care? Policy Options. https://policyoptions.irpp.org/magazines/february-2021/what-is-the-quebec-model-of-early-learning-and-child-care/
[2] Fortin, P., Godbout, L. & St-Cerny, S. (2022) L’impact des services de garde à contribution réduite du Québec sur le taux d’activité féminin, le revenu intérieur et les budgets gouvernementaux [The Impact of Quebec’s Low-Cost Child Care on Women’s Participation Rates, Domestic Income and Government Budgets]. Interventions économiques / Papers in Political Economy. https://journals.openedition.org/interventionseconomiques/
[3] Japel, C., Tremblay, R. & Côté, S. (13 December, 2022). Quality Counts!: Assessing the Quality of Daycare Services Based on the Quebec Longitudinal Study of Child Development. IIRP Choices, 11(5). https://irpp.org/research-studies/quality-counts/
[4] Ministère de la Famille (2021). Major initiative for families : action plan to complete the educational childcare services network. Gouvernement du Québec. https://numerique.banq.qc.ca/patrimoine/details/52327/4462426
[5] Cleveland, G., Mathieu, S. & Japel, C. (2021, February 18). What is “the Quebec model” of early learning and child care? Policy Options. https://policyoptions.irpp.org/magazines/february-2021/what-is-the-quebec-model-of-early-learning-and-child-care/
[6] Whitehurst, G. (2017, March 9). Why the federal government should subsidize childcare and how to pay for it. Economic Studies at Brookings, 2(11). https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/es_20170309_whitehurst_evidence_speaks3.pdf