We appreciate all the child care work grandparents do, but it doesn’t have to be this hard.
Grandparents Day is this Sunday. This year, the Alberta Federation of Labour would like to thank all grandparents on Grandparents Day for the care work they do to fill the gap in quality affordable child care.
In Alberta, over 30% of children under the age of 5 are cared for by family members such as grandparents. Everyday over 55,000 are taken care of by family members, often because this is one of the only available options for families to take, being some of the most flexible and cost friendly options in Alberta.
Even with grandparents and other family members helping to care for children where they can, tens of thousands of families in Alberta have difficulty finding affordable, quality child care. This often means that parents have to make difficult decisions about whether or not to return to work or school. When they can, parents also make changes to their work schedules or even use multiple care providers. Even with making these changes where they can families are still struggling every day.
Overall, Alberta still has a gap between the need and availability of affordable, quality childcare for families. Grandparents often are the ones that help fill in this gap and it doesn’t have to be that difficult. Affordable, quality child care for all is achievable.
This year, our Fair Start campaign for universal child care focuses on the benefits for women. Learn more.
We are calling on the government to support a strong economy that includes women to:
- Recognize the positive impact access to child care has on women and gender equity.
- Expand access to high-quality centre-based child care.
- Create a concrete plan with clear timelines to build a universal system of early childhood education and care in Alberta.