Download - ADCO :: The Association of Day Care Operators of Ontario

PO BOX 208, Foxboro ON K0K 2B0
Kathy Graham, CEO
admin@adco-o.on.ca
Tel: 613-395-6111
Toll Free: 800.567.7075
Fax: 613.395.6223
For Release May 8, 2006
Non-profit vs. for-profit child care debate a disservice to Canadian families, says Association of Day
Care Operators of Ontario
Functional and efficient daycare system must include for-profit and non-profit centres; federal child care tax credit
program should be opened up to all sectors
Greg Humphreys, president of the Association of Day Care Operators of Ontario, today released a new research
paper: “Child CARE: Improving child care services for Canadian families” that dispels the myth of superiority
surrounding non-profit child care and makes the case for equal treatment of the licensed for-profit daycare sector.
‘The evidence shows that both non-profit and for-profit operators are capable of providing high-quality child care,”
said Humphreys. These findings contrast with the arguments made by many vocal national child care advocates who
promote a heavily-unionized, non-profit model of child care for Canada.
The research paper investigates the role of non-profit and for-profit child care centres in Canada and around the
world. The work highlights four key advantages arising from the participation of the for-profit sector in any country’s
child care program. These CARE factors are:
Choice: The inclusion of the licensed for-profit sector increases the range of choices that families have in
selecting child care. Most families are uninterested in the ideological distinction between for-profit and nonprofit
care.
Access: Restricting the provision of child care services to non-profit only, as is the case in Saskatchewan
and is a policy objective in Toronto, will inevitably result in reduced access to regulated daycare for children.
Responsiveness: Jurisdictions that treat licensed for-profit and non-profit child cares equally in terms of
government subsidies and other programs have found that the licensed for-profit sector is best able to
respond quickly to increased demand.
Efficiency: Jurisdictions that treat licensed for-profit and non-profit child care operators equally display
lower costs per regulated child care space than do jurisdictions that discriminate.
“As a daycare operator, I know that accessibility is a big issue with Canadian families,” says Humphreys, who
operates two Alpha Child Care Centres in Brampton, Ontario with space for 185 children. “But one of the biggest
problems in terms of creating new child care spaces is the fact that many provincial and municipal governments
actively discriminate against the licensed for-profit sector. If we are going to solve the accessibility problem,
governments need to recognize the benefits of licensed for-profit child care.”
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Proud affiliate of the Canadian Child Care Management Association & the Canadian Child Care Federation

PO BOX 208, Foxboro ON K0K 2B0
Kathy Graham, CEO
admin@adco-o.on.ca
Tel: 613-395-6111
Toll Free: 800.567.7075
Fax: 613.395.6223
Humphreys noted that these observations were particularly timely given the federal government’s proposed
Community Childcare Investment Program. This $250 million per year program will provide tax credits of up to
$10,000 for each new child care space directly created by an employer or in partnership with non-profit community
associations. It is anticipated that 25,000 new spaces per year will be created through these tax credits over five
years.
However, given the advantages associated with licensed for-profit daycare delivery, Humphreys emphasized the
necessity for making these tax credits available to all daycare operators. When the Netherlands used an employer
tax credit system to triple the size of its child care system in the 1990s, the licensed for-profit sector was a major
participant.
“If the Conservative government is interested in providing choices to parents, then it makes sense to open up the
Community Childcare Investment Program to all child care providers,” Humphreys added. “The for-profit sector is
ready and willing to create more high-quality spaces for Canadian children. Even low cost loans, as found in Nova
Scotia, would open the doors and help create not only more spaces but a renewable pool of money for continued
expansion.”
The Association of Day Care Operators of Ontario represents a wide range of child care providers in Ontario. Its
membership includes licensed centre-based and home child care agencies, and it represents for-profit, non-profit,
independent and franchised child care centres. ADCO members provide care for over 75,000 children on a daily
basis. Its members have made equal funding between sectors and parental choice in child care key policy objectives
both in Ontario and nationwide.
For more information, contact:
Greg Humphreys
President, ADCO
905.584.4358
Kathy Graham
CEO, ADCO
613.395.6111
Peter Shawn Taylor
Author of the Child CARE report
519.884.7692
Proud affiliate of the Canadian Child Care Management Association & the Canadian Child Care Federation