The economic crisis due to COVID-19  has hit women workers hard. They’ve lost work in greater numbers and have also taken on a disproportionate  amount of care work. An equitable recovery must take this into account. As Armine Yalnizyan says, “no recovery without a she-covery, no she-covery without child care.”

The Role of Early Learning and Child Care in Rebuilding Canada’s Economy after COVID-19 is a new report from Jim Stanford at the Centre for Future Work. It  outlines the huge potential impacts a universal early learning and child care program could have in Canada. Key findings include:

• The creation of more than 200 000 new jobs over ten years in regulated child care, and 100 000 more jobs in industries that support the sector
• Increased labour force participation and employment by up to 725 000 women
• Increased economic activity that would add $17 to $29 billion to provincial and federal government coffers per year
• Long-term health and well-being benefits for children and future generations

Read the report here.