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In an article published in the Sydney Morning Herald, Steve Biddulph – author of many books on parenting, family life and social change – provides an overview of childcare policies in Canada, Britain and Sweden, considering possible new avenues for Australian child care under the new Labor government.
Unsuccessful childcare policy
In the SMH article 'A child-care lesson from Canada', author Steve Biddulph discusses a Canadian policy experiment undertaken in Quebec in 2000 which provided universal day care (including for newborn babies) to families for five dollars a day. The policy was adopted as a result of the rising number of families in the province with both parents in the workforce, which had almost doubled over three decades.
Three economists evaluated the results of the scheme, studying the development of children across Canada and from data collected, and determined that the scheme was a 'disaster'.
Economically, the scheme did not balance costs. Even though the workforce grew by 7.7 per cent, tax gains were not enough to cover the costs of the childcare services.
Most notably, there were declines in the wellbeing of the children, who exhibited more aggression, inattention and illness compared to children cared for at home. Parent–child relationships suffered, and there was increased depression exhibited in mothers and increased strain on the relationships of the parents.
Ideas for Australian child care
According to author Steve Biddulph, the problems with Canada's childcare scheme are worth considering in light of the new federal government's policies on child care, which will be a combination of non-profit community-run centres and government-subsidised private providers.
Another option that Biddulph endorses is paid parental leave, which has shown positive results in Sweden over the past 15 years, with many babies and under-twos being cared for at home rather than in childcare centres. Britain has also recently introduced paid parental leave.
Read the Sydney Morning Herald's 'A child-care lesson from Canada'.
Further reading
View these related items on the Early Childhood Australia website:
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