Quebec’s elcc

Funding child care operationally and setting parent fees

Quebec was the first province to make three big changes to child care policy simultaneously, fundamentally changing how child care is conceptualized. In 1997, Quebec began operationally funding non-profit child care centres (centres de la petite enfance), introduced set parent fees of $5/day for all parents and all age groups, and eliminated low income parent fee subsidies. Since that time, there have been many policy, funding, and political changes, with Quebec serving both as a model and an opportunity for policy learning for the rest of Canada.