Canada's National Child Care Advocacy Coalition was born out of the collective call at the 1982 national child care conference in Winnipeg and has since evolved from the Child Care Advocacy Association of Canada (CCAAC) to now operate under the banner "Child Care Now" in English and "Un Enfant Une Place" in French. Child Care Now advocates for a national, publicly funded, inclusive, quality, non-profit child care system.

Aligned with regional representation, Child Care Now has established chapters in Ontario, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Columbia, and Newfoundland and Labrador. As a third-party entity, Child Care Now collaborates closely with provincial and territorial child care organisations, unions, anti-poverty groups, employers, municipalities, and advocates for human and women’s rights.

Highlights:

Foundational Beliefs: Child Care Now champions the belief that child care is pivotal to progressive policies for children and families. Their commitment extends to advocating for accessible, publicly funded child care that is comprehensive, affordable, high quality, inclusive, and non-profit. The organisation also stands for fair working conditions for the early learning and child care workforce.

Membership and Structure: Child Care Now draws strength from a diverse membership base, including individuals, families, child care programs, and both regional and pan-Canadian groups. Governed by a voluntary Board of Directors, Child Care Now operates from its central office in Ottawa.

Advocacy Initiatives: Acting as a public education catalyst, Child Care Now keeps Canadians informed about child care issues through informative resources like fact sheets and briefs. Engaging in robust political action, they organise campaigns, develop proposals for government action, and actively lobby federal parties.

Key Activities: Child Care Now plays an active role in promoting a vision of early childhood education and care, addressing identified challenges to this vision, monitoring policy developments, raising public awareness, supporting provincial and territorial initiatives, and collaborating with federal opposition parties to keep early childhood learning environments on the forefront of the public agenda.

Click here to learn more about Child Care Now and how you can get involved and support their work.