About us

Growth of Affordable Early Childhood Education and Child Care Has Stalled for Decades

A recent poll found that the lack of quality child care is a matter of concern for 77% of Canadians. While universally high quality early childhood education and care (ECEC) should be available to all children, it is a fundamental tool in a poverty reduction strategy. In 2006 there were only enough regulated child care spaces for 1 in 6 children (0 – 12 years). Many parents pay the full cost of ECEC, up to $14,000 per year for young children.

Regulated child care is too expensive for low income families. Outside Québec, parents generally pay full or almost full fees. While all provinces/territories provide fee subsidies to help eligible low income parents, all restrict the availability of subsidies in one way or another. As a result, many low income families are not able to use regulated child care.

2008 Report Card on Child and Family Poverty in Canada

Campaign 2000 Youth Action Committee

The Youth Action Committee of Campaign 2000 is a youth-driven and motivated group focusing on work to end child/youth and family poverty. We want to work together to make change in our communities and in the lives of all Canadians.

YAC was started up with youth from Our Kids Our Future, a student-run public awareness group that approached Campaign 2000 and developed an alliance with us. The YAC looks at different ways that youth can help to tackle child and family poverty in Toronto and getting other young people involved.

One of the YAC’s goals is to raise public awareness about child/youth & family poverty through “street education”: using the white wristbands from Make Poverty History, a handful of key facts and concrete examples such as a supermarket cart of food compared to a food bank box of food.

The YAC participates in the Make Poverty History Steering Committee in Ottawa and holds meetings in Toronto. Some of the street education so far has taken place at events including:

Make Poverty History and other events around Oct. 17, the U.N. Day for the Elimination of Poverty each year;
Live 8 in Barrie (2005);
The Cause (annual youth event sponsored by the Toronto Youth Cabinet, 2005 & ‘06);
Toronto Urban Music Festival and CNE (2005 to ‘08);
the U2 concert at the Air Canada Centre (2005);
Events around Nov. 24th and the release of Campaign 2000’s National Report Card (since 2005, on an annual basis);
the All-Candidates Meeting (2005-06 federal election).

The YAC also developed School2School, a web-based awareness campaign publicizing the large Make Poverty History banner that is signed and passed from school to school across Ontario. For a sample activity for students please click here.

Youth interested in getting involved with Campaign 2000’s Youth Action Committee should contact Campaign 2000, by calling 416-595-9230, ext. 244 or by e-mail at liyugu@familyservicetoronto.org

Check this page in the future for a link to the YAC website.