Child care and early education is a critical component to a
healthy British Columbian society, and it is currently in crisis and needs
public commitment and political will to address it.
The $10 Plan is a 10 year strategy to do this.
WHAT ABOUT THE
COST?
On February 17, 2015, Finance Minister Mike De
Jong announced a budget surplus for 2014/15 to hit $879 million "nearly
double earlier forecasts". This surplus would cover implementation of the
Plan.
A 10 year implementation means all the funds will
not be required up front. As we invest more we get immediate returns to
government from increased income tax and sales tax.
Parents who are not spending $1750 each month
(average for 2 children under 5 in Campbell River - State of the Child
Report, Campbell River 2014) on child care have dollars to
contribute in sales and other taxes to their local and provincial economies.
The experience of the Quebec plan has
demonstrated what we can expect from our investment. Significant returns were
realized in Quebec within two years of implementation. After 12 years, it is
paying for itself! Economists predict B.C. would see returns after the
first year and follow Quebec's model.
Quebec's program helped 70,000 women with young
children - who, without child care, would not be working - to enter the labour
force, a 3.8% increase in women's employment overall.
The ripple effect of mother's employment contributed
an additional $5.2 billion to the provincial economy and increased Quebec's GDP
by 1.7%.
The impact of working mother's increased
purchasing power and taxes paid, along with reduced social transfers, means
that for every dollar Quebec invests in its child care system:
·
Quebec
recovers $1.05, which more than pays for its 1.6 billion annual investment; and
·
Ottawa
recovers 44 cents - for an additional $700 million in revenue - without having
made any investment
o
The
OECD ranks Canada last in its investments in child care for children under 6
years old.
o
UNICEF
ranks Canada last among OECD countries for investing in families with children
under 6 years.
o
Child
care fees represent the second highest family expense (after housing).
o
The
cost of regulated child care services reduces family income by more than taxes.
o
The
savings of implementing a plan for caring for our children and families have
been calculated at up to $17 for every $1 spent. These savings represent
tax dollars NOT spent over a lifetime of increased health, legal, and social
costs, but costs in lost human potential are hard to calculate.
The early care and learning community of Campbell
River believes passionately that support for the early years is a priority for
achieving quality of life for everyone in our community. We ask the City
of Campbell River to join us.
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