Early Childhood Education Costs: a thought-provoking report

A new research report compares what parents contribute to the costs of early childhood education with what they contribute to post-secondary education costs.  These are two non-mandatory components of preparing children for full participation in society, but both are increasingly essential for young people.  The research shows that  “parents with children in PSE (post-secondary education) are – in most provinces, at most levels of income – asked to contribute significantly less than parents with children in ECE (early childhood education). On average, for families earning $60,000, the gap between required ECE and PSE contributions is between $4,900 and $6,250, depending on the age of the child; for families earning $100,000, the gap is between $3,800 and $7,600.

In general, parents of young children are likely to have less income in early stages of their careers and more costs associated with starting a family.  This report adds another angle to the on-going debate about how we best fulfill every child’s right to be educated.

The research,done by Higher Education Strategy Associates, is available at  http://www.childcarecanada.org/documents/research-policy-practice/16/03/what-we-ask-parents-unequal-expectations-parental-contribut

 

 

 

 

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