Child Care Now

What Child Care Now does

Child Care Now is a Canadian non-profit, membership-based advocacy organization founded in 1982 in Winnipeg and headquartered in Ottawa (Impact Hub Ottawa, 123 Slater Street). It serves as Canada's recognized national child care advocacy association, working with provincial and territorial child care organizations, unions, anti-poverty groups, employers, municipalities, and human/women's rights advocates to advance a publicly funded, inclusive, high-quality, non-profit child care system. The organization is governed by a voluntary, regionally representative Board of Directors drawn from across Canada and operates five provincial chapters (Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, New Brunswick) and three affiliate organizations (Coalition of Child Care Advocates of BC, Child Care Coalition of Manitoba, Ontario Coalition for Better Child Care).

The organization generates no proprietary technology products; its core deliverables are advocacy campaigns, policy research, public education materials (fact sheets, backgrounders, briefs, case studies), and convening services. Active programs include the three-year Educators Matter project (2023-2026) advancing workforce policy for the Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care (CWELCC) system, the Growth by Design research project funded by Employment and Social Development Canada examining not-for-profit and public-sector child care expansion, the National ELCC Workforce Policy Table producing evidence-based policy recommendations, and the Keep the Child Care Promise campaign defending the $10aDay child care commitment. Research leadership includes academics from the University of British Columbia, University of Manitoba, and Mount Saint Vincent University.

The revenue model is a hybrid: membership fees from individuals ($15/year) and organizations ($50/year, with a pay-what-you-can option), donations from supporters and partners, and project-based grants from the federal government (notably Employment and Social Development Canada through the Early Learning and Child Care Innovation Program) and private foundations. Distribution and go-to-market rely on a community-led motion: coalition-building, direct political lobbying of all federal parties, public education via the website, email/newsletter, social media (Facebook, Twitter/X, Instagram), conference speaking, and media appearances. Executive Director Morna Ballantyne, with 40 years of policy experience, leads a small staff of 11-50, supported by an extensive national board.

Name

Child Care Now

Legal name

Child Care Now

Website

https://childcarenow.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

1982

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Child Care Now is a Canadian non-profit, membership-based advocacy organization founded in 1982 and headquartered in Ottawa. It advocates for a publicly funded, inclusive, non-profit child care system, serving families, child care workers, and allied organizations through policy research, campaigns, and coalition-building across Canada.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Social Advocacy Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Family & Parenting Support Services (BPAGAEAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Child Welfare, Foster Care & Adoption Services (BPAGAEAE)

Keywords

• Child care advocacy
• Early childhood education policy
• Non-profit coalition
• Social policy research
• Federal policy lobbying

Headquarters

HQ city

Ottawa

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: Annual membership fees from individuals and organizations. Individual membership at $15/year, organizational membership at $50/year, with pay-what-you-can option available.
2. Donations: Donations from supporters, partners and members to sustain child care advocacy at the federal level. One-time and recurring donation options available.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Child Care Now is Canada's national non-profit, membership-based child care advocacy association dedicated to promoting a publicly funded, inclusive, quality, non-profit child care system. The organization delivers public education, political action, policy research, and pan-Canadian coalition-building through its members, five provincial chapters, three provincial affiliates, and a volunteer Board of Directors. Its work includes running multi-year research projects (Educators Matter, Growth by Design), coordinating advocacy campaigns (Keep the Child Care Promise / $10aDay), producing policy briefs and backgrounders, and lobbying federal parties.

Product overview

Child Care Now operates as a unified advocacy organization rather than a technology product company. The main offering is the organization's advocacy services for a publicly funded child care system. Key initiatives include the Educators Matter workforce policy project (2023–2026) which develops policy solutions for ELCC workforce challenges, and the Growth by Design research project examining child care expansion in not-for-profit and public sectors. The Keep the Child Care Promise campaign advocates for $10aDay child care protection, supported by the National ELCC Workforce Policy Table that creates evidence-based policy recommendations. The organization also produces publications including fact sheets, backgrounders, case studies, and research reports on child care policy.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Individual Membership

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 1 million families have benefited from $10aDay child care program
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• National Early Learning and Child Care Workforce Policy TablecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Multi-stakeholder policy table established through Educators Matter project, bringing together educators, advocates, researchers and policy makers from across Canada to develop evidence-based policy recommendations
• Coalition of Child Care Advocates of BCcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvincial affiliate organization working on child care advocacy in British Columbia, including the $10aDay child care campaign
• Child Care Coalition of ManitobacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvincial affiliate organization advocating for child care in Manitoba
• Ontario Coalition for Better Child CarecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvincial affiliate organization working on child care advocacy in Ontario
• Employment and Social Development CanadacoreOthersFederal government funder for the Growth by Design research project on child care expansion in not-for-profit and public sectors through the Early Learning and Child Care Innovation Program
• University of British ColumbiaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative research agreement for Growth by Design project examining community housing and child care expansion

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• YWCA Canada: Larger national women's rights and social services organization with child care service delivery and advocacy components. Comparable as a federated Canadian advocacy organization serving women and families.
• National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC): Large US-based professional membership organization for early childhood educators with policy advocacy focus. Comparable mission in advancing quality early childhood education and the ECEC workforce.
• YMCA Canada: Major national charitable organization operating licensed child care programs across Canada. Comparable as a national child care-focused nonprofit, though YMCA operates programs directly while Child Care Now advocates.

Direct peers

• Child Care Aware of America: US national child care resource and referral network with policy advocacy work. Most direct international peer to Child Care Now in mission and structure.
• Campaign 2000: End Child and Family Poverty in Canada: National advocacy coalition on child and family poverty with overlapping board members (Anita Khanna, Leila Sarangi). Comparable pan-Canadian coalition structure focused on intersecting family policy issues.
• Coalition of Child Care Advocates of BC: BC provincial affiliate of Child Care Now and leader of the $10aDay campaign. Direct peer in child care advocacy with overlapping board and campaign work.
• Child Care Coalition of Manitoba: Manitoba provincial affiliate of Child Care Now with direct organizational overlap (board member Brianne Goertzen sits on both). Comparable advocacy mission at provincial level.
• Childcare Resource and Research Unit (CRRU): Canadian child care research and policy organization; multiple board members of Child Care Now (including founder Martha Friendly) are affiliated with CRRU. Highly comparable as a national child care policy/research counterpart.
• Ontario Coalition for Better Child Care: Provincial affiliate of Child Care Now in Canada's largest province; board member Carolyn Ferns is Public Policy Coordinator. Direct peer in child care advocacy mission and structure.
• Association of Early Childhood Educators of Ontario (AECEO): Ontario-based professional association for early childhood educators. Directly comparable in advocating for the ECEC workforce and child care quality; Child Care Now's Policy Manager previously served as Interim ED.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Child_Care_Now
• Facebookfacebook.com/childcarenowcanada
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/child-care-now
• Instagraminstagram.com/child_care_now

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles23 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Child Care Now