CRRU Report: Some Positive Results, Problem Areas Remain

Photo by Nils Huenerfuerst

Childcarenow.ca has reviewed the Childcare Resource and Research Unit (CRRU) 2024/2025 report on Canadian child care released in February 2026, finding that, despite positive results in some areas, problem areas still exist in meeting the promise of universal child care.

The review notes that the Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care (CWELCC) program, launched in 2021 is yielding positive results in the following areas:

affordability

availability of licensed programs

working conditions and compensation for the child care workforce

However, problem areas remain:

All provinces and territories have substantially dropped parent fees – but not all will achieve the goal of an average fee of $10 a day by March 31, 2026.

Parents in several provinces are being charged additional fees for “extra” such as meals, wait lists, or outings.

The number of child care centres has increased substantially under CWELCC, as have active licensed family child care homes, which had been declining for a decade. However, the system has not expanded sufficiently to meet demand.

Contrary to governments’ commitments to build a primarily not-for-profit system of early learning and child care, CWELCC has increased the provision of for-profit child care.

In seven jurisdictions, new and expanded for-profits receive new operating funding and receive capital funding in three. For-profit spaces represented more than 40% of net full-day growth in seven jurisdictions.

Multiple provincial/territorial initiatives have been put in place to address the shortage of qualified early childhood educators. Eight provincial and territorial governments have put in place wage grids, and six have contributed to the funding of pension and benefit plans.

Full-school days and kindergarten for four- and five-year-olds have become part of Canada’s child care landscape, with full-day kindergarten offered to all five year olds in eight jurisdictions and all four year olds in two. The use and provision patterns of regulated child care are significantly impacted by how kindergarten is provided.

New five year agreements with all jurisdiction except Ontario and Alberta (which have new one year agreements) began April 1, 2026.

The CRRU ECEC 2024/2025 Report can be downloaded at https://childcarecanada.org/publications/ecec-canada/26/02/early-childhood-education-and-care-canada-2024-2025

The section of the report specific to BC can be downloaded at https://childcarecanada.org/sites/default/files/ECEC-2024-2025-British-Columbia.pdf

CRRU also provide a summary and analysis document, Key Findings from Early Childhood Education and Care in Canada 2024/2025, which provides more details of the above points, with provincial/territorial specifics, at https://childcarecanada.org/sites/default/files/ECEC2024-FR-Key-Findings-FEB-3.pdf