Neo-Conservatism and Child Care Services in Alberta: A Case Study. Occasional Paper No. 9.

The development and delivery of child care services in Canada has never been without controversy. This case study examines the development of the child care system in Alberta, Canada, showing how the role of the government proceeded through four distinct phases, each determining a different outcome for child care stakeholders. Power mechanisms and covert policy making are described as mitigating against strengthening the child care system in Alberta, including failing to develop a bureaucratic infrastructure, creating tensions in the child care community, limiting resources for policy implementation, and delaying action by studying the issues. The study notes that under the tenets of neo-conservatism, the current fifth phase is redefining the child care paradigm and has resulted in the marginalization of child care. The neo-conservative principles of decreased government spending, privatization, and minimized government intervention have resulted in a radically decentralized approach to social service management that has not worked well for the child care system. Explanations that child care was developed and maintained to buttress the welfare system for needy families or to support increased employment for women are cited to rationalize the dismantling of care because it reinforces the breakdown of normal community self-help programs and constrains mothers from taking responsibility for their children. To the extent that the example of Alberta is a prototype of child care developments elsewhere, the analysis of developments and outcomes can assist in forewarning those who are concerned about the maintenance and development of public child care. (Contains 43 references.) (Author/KB)