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Update on the Enhancement of the MFSP: Child Care

Access to consistent, high quality child care is an issue of concern in all Canadian Forces (CF) communities. Since the CF Child Care Symposium in May 2009, DMFS has conducted a comprehensive stakeholder assessment to determine the child care options currently available to CF families and the challenges families face in accessing care. Military Family Resource Centres (MFRCs) also shared their perspectives by reporting on the status of any MFRC-operated child care facilities, relating the challenges they face meeting parents’ child care needs, and identifying creative solutions to mitigate these challenges. The CF Child Care Stakeholder Assessment Report will be made available in early 2010.

Several issues have been raised concerning the current child care services available for CF families. One of the key areas for improvement is raising awareness: there is widespread misunderstanding about child care options through the Military Family Services Program (MFSP) and Family Care Plan. Many CF families also face limited options for on-call back-up child care in times of emergency. Compounding these issues is a Canada-wide lack of licensed spaces, a shortage of care providers, a lack of national standards of care and inconsistencies in the availability of care.

To mitigate some of these gaps in service, three pilot projects are currently being tested:

• The Child Care Information Portal, based in Esquimalt, will develop an online gateway to information on child care services.
• MFSP Mandated Child Care Service Policy Enhancements are being trialed in Cold Lake, Edmonton, Petawawa, Valcartier and Halifax. This pilot is testing how well additional hours and more flexible eligibility regulations for child care services increase the options for on-call back-up care.
• Enhanced Management Oversight of Child Care Services, based in Trenton, is assessing what type of business model and professional development is required by CF child care centres to meet the unique demands of CF personnel and their children. 

Concurrently, DMFS is conducting an options analysis to consider the following:

1. Short-term strategies that will address CF families’ urgent need for on-call back-up child care, and ensure greater awareness of available child care options;
2. Mid-term strategies that will address the challenges of recruiting, training and retaining high quality child care staff;
3. Long-term strategies that will address the need for affordable and equitable child care cost sharing, as well as CF-wide national standards and accountability through accreditation. The ultimate goal will be enhancing child care options for the CF in order to improve operational effectiveness and military family resilience.

The results of these initiatives will be included in DMFS’ comprehensive analysis of the proposed enhancements for the Military Family Services Program. Those projects that are selected to proceed will then be proposed for endorsement by Chief Military Personnel.