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1. Adam (inkslinger@mastodon.club)'s status on Wednesday, 20-Mar-2019 13:15:37 EDT Adam

   The Alberta Party's childcare plan is ambitious and seems pretty good, though I'm pretty suspicious of the voucher approach for two reasons: first, it means we're giving a bunch of public money to private, for-profit childcare centres. Second, it reminds me of the charter school system in some US states, which ultimately gutted the public school system in those areas; this isn't exactly analogous, but it still makes me nervous.

   https://www.albertaparty.ca/childcare

   1. Adam (inkslinger@mastodon.club)'s status on Wednesday, 20-Mar-2019 13:16:54 EDT Adam

      in reply to

      I mean, it's almost certain the AP won't win more than a handful of seats, but if they hold the balance of power in a minority government (unlikely) or the NDP adopts a version of this plan that focuses on non-profit childcare centres (somewhat likely), this could be a win for parents in the province.

   2. M. Grégoire (mpjgregoire@mastodon.club)'s status on Wednesday, 20-Mar-2019 16:06:56 EDT M. Grégoire

      in reply to

      @ink_slinger You're generally better off with the government paying contractors to do well-defined tasks than with the government executing the tasks itself. But it depends on whether the tasks *can* be well-defined, whether competition is feasible, etc.

      Of course I work in #infrastructure #construction a field where using contractors is standard practice.

      1. Adam (inkslinger@mastodon.club)'s status on Wednesday, 20-Mar-2019 16:13:34 EDT Adam

         in reply to

         @mpjgregoire I'm not suggesting government get into the business of childcare, merely that I'm uneasy about giving money to for-profit centres rather than non-profits, especially since there is some evidence to suggest non-profit childcare centres provide better care (often at lower rates, so it would be a win for parents and for the government issuing the vouchers).

         I believe the NDP's $25/day pilot worked exclusively with non-profit childcare centres.