Tories to rethink child-care initiatives

The federal government is taking a closer look at whether its package of child-care initiatives is really working, but won't learn the results until many children currently in day care have already moved on to public school.

A tender issued for Human Resources and Social Development Canada seeks contractors to perform a large-scale study of child-care policies in Canada, with a budget of up to $400,000.

The project will measure the number and cost of child-care spaces available across the country as of 2007. But the proposal sets a target date of July 2009 for completion and public release of the report.

Despite the two-year lag, the study will be "an up-to-date compilation" of child-care information, the document says.

NDP social policy critic Tony Martin says the government doesn't need to waste any more money studying the lack of affordable day-care spaces.

"It's to take child care off the radar screen," he said. "Put some money into a study and wait until it comes back."

LINK: Ottawa Citizen