Report questions $7 day care
CBC.CA News
Thu 02 Feb 2006
Section: Montreal

Byline:
Source:
Time: Thu February 02 08:23:16 2006 EST
Network:
CBC

A report from the C.D. Howe Institute suggests Quebec's
publicly-funded day-care system might be having a negative impact on children,
and on their parents.

The research institute studied the social impact of the $7-a-day system, and
compared it with situations faced by children and families in the rest of the
country.

The study's authors say the Quebec system had a number of positive results,
including a higher percentage of mothers entering the workforce.

But the authors say there's also a higher percentage of Quebec children who
are feeling more anxious and showing more aggressive behaviour.

According to the study, over an eight-year period the anxiety level for young
children in Quebec increased by 34 per cent, compared to 12 per cent in the rest
of Canada. It also showed increased tensions between parents, and higher levels
of depression for mothers who place their children in day care.

"The effects on the children and the parents are not all positive," says Yvan
Guillemette of the C.D. Howe Institute. "We have
to ask ourselves if the costs are worth the benefits and if we should have this
in the rest of Canada."

But the study's authors also say the negative impact in Quebec may seem
higher because so many children in this province are in the public day-care
system.

Read the report: "What Can We Learn From Quebec's
Universal Childcare program?"

© 2006 CBC. All Rights Reserved.

Length: 229 words