Practically four-in-five British Columbians agree that employers benefit from investments in child care cause more parents can go to work.
Introduction
In March 2024, the Coalition of Child Care Advocates of BC worked with Research Co.[1] to conduct a provincial poll asking British Columbians about their views on $10aDay child care. The poll results add to the extensive input we regularly receive from over 20,000 $10aDay supporters and through outreach to and engagement in communities across the province. We also meet with government officials and carry out research and analysis – all to inform and update our $10aDay policy and funding recommendations.
The new provincial poll explores public views of $10aDay child care 6 years after the program’s launch in BC, and 5 years after our last provincial poll. To support comparisons over time, some polling questions are consistent with previous polls. Others reflect the new context (e.g. post-COVID, new federal funding, system implementation now underway) and the interest in flexible approaches to child care within the evolving $10aDay system.
Summary of Findings
British Columbians continue to strongly support $10aDay child care[2]. Nearly 80% of British Columbians say it’s important for government to continue with its $10aDay commitments and three quarters (76%) think implementation should be moving more quickly. 75% of British Columbians also agree that flexible child care options are needed as more parents today work outside of Monday to Friday 9-5.
While only 9%[3] of all the licensed child care spaces in BC are currently $10aDay, 20% of British Columbians report they’ve been personally touched by $10aDay child care, either directly or through someone they know. Notably, 35% of 18–34-year-olds have benefitted themselves or know someone who has.
At the same time, 84% of BC families with young children report that long waiting lists for child care are still a problem. This is not surprising as there are only enough licensed child care spaces for 23%[4] of young children in BC. 43% of families with young children reported that they had to wait more than 6 months for child care.
Overall, 70% of British Columbians with young children say that government has made child care more affordable for their family, and 88% confirm that they would like to have access to $10aDay child care.
Highlights
The poll asked British Columbians to consider 17 $10aDay policy recommendations. While the results show that support drops slightly for older age groups, and men relative to women, overall, the recommendations were broadly supported (see charts below).
Specifically,
- 84% of British Columbians agree it’s important for Early Childhood Educators to earn fair wages for their important work.
- 81% agree that all elementary schools should provide before and after school care for the children in that school.
- 75% agree that Indigenous children should have access to culturally safe child care programs.
- 72% agree that child care should be publicly available like elementary schools.
- 71% agree that BC cannot create and staff more child care programs without ensuring fair compensation for Early Childhood Educators.
- 67% agree that, with substantial public funds being invested, government should ensure child care programs are non-profit.
Furthermore,
- 90% of young people (aged 18-34) think it’s important to keep building the $10aDay child care system, and 58% say this issue will be vote-determining for them in the upcoming BC election.
- Among older British Columbians,
- 90% think it’s important for Early Childhood Educators to earn fair wages.
- 78% think BC’s child care system should help parents who work non-traditional schedules.
- 76% agree that all new child care facilities in BC should be built to be climate resilient.
- $10aDay child care is a vote-determining issue for nearly half the population (45%), which is far more than the percent of the population who presently needs child care for young children.
On affordability,
- 85% of British Columbians – and 88% of those over 55 – agree that having children now costs a lot more than it did 40 years ago.
- 82% agree child care is important to support working parents.
- 80% agree that single parents have a better opportunity to work when there’s access to quality flexible $10aDay child care.
- 78% confirm that when child care is affordable and available, more mothers can work and pay taxes.
On the economic impacts of child care,
- 78% of British Columbians agree that employers benefit from investments in child care because more parents can go to work.
- 78% agree that investing in child care is beneficial to the economy.
- 67%of parents with recent child care experience said a parent had to remain away from work for a longer period following the end of parental leave because child care was unavailable..
These poll results confirm what we hear from families, educators, and communities across BC. Public support for $10aDay Child Care remains very strong and consistent.
When asked what they knew about $10aDay child care, one respondent summarized the general sentiment expressed throughout this provincial poll, saying “it’s been in the works for some time, and we need to get it done”.
The Coalition of Child Care Advocates of BC gratefully acknowledges the support of Employment and Social Development Canada.
[1] Methodology: Results are based on an online study conducted from March 21 to March 23, 2024, among 803 adults in British Columbia. The data has been statistically weighted according to Canadian census figures for age, gender, and region in British Columbia. The margin of error—which measures sample variability—is +/- 3.5 percentage points, nineteen times out of twenty.
In this survey, we asked questions related to child care (sometimes referred to as childcare, daycare or preschool). For the purpose of this survey, child care is defined as the caring and supervision of a child 0-12 years old that is performed by a person other than the child’s legal guardians for part of or all of a day. The care may take place in a licensed/regulated setting or in an unregulated and informal setting.
Consult the data tables here and here.
[2] See summary of 2019 survey here.
[3] Data as of March 2024, as reported by the BC Government’s child care data dashboard, accessed May 23, 2024 (calculation:13,571 $10aDay spaces / 148,383 total spaces participating in government programs). On March 28, 2024 the BC Government announced the total number of $10aDay spaces would be increasing to 15,300 in April, 2024.
[4] Calculation: 148,383 total spaces (as cited above) divided by the government-projected 2024 population of children 0-12 (accessed May 23, 2024).
Download the press release here.
For more information on this poll, please contact:
Sharon Gregson, $10aDay Child Care Plan.
604.505.5725
[e] info@10aday.caMario Canseco, President, Research Co.
778.929.0490
[e] mario.canseco@researchco.ca