Author Description

Governments in Canada and a significant number of Canadian citizens have not committed to public funding for child care services. A series of myths that reflect these concerns is frequently heard in public debate, myths that are repeated so often they have acquired a semblance of credibility. This report isolates eight such myths and subjects them and associated research to critical scrutiny, combining research evidence and logic to provide a readable critique to these frequently heard arguments against publicly funded early childhood care and education. The 8 myths addressed are as follows: (1) "Children need full-time maternal care when they are young"; (2) "Child care will harm children"; (3) "Families should pay for their own children"; (4) "Parents always know best"; (5)"Discrimination against stay-at-home moms"; (6) "Mothers would rather stay at home"; (7) "Child care erodes family values"; and (8) "It costs too much." Each chapter briefly characterizes the nature of the myth being addressed. There follows a point-by-point 10- to 15-page critique of the case, with evidence from both research and economic theory. Each chapter concludes with a brief, point-form summary of the main arguments. The final chapter offers concluding remarks, noting that Canada is heading toward a change in federal leadership and expressing the hope that addressing the need for comprehensive, high quality child care programs will once more emerge on the national agenda. (Contains 81 references.) (HTH).