This report examines the status, funding, and accessibility of child care in Canada and presents recommendations for the federal government to improve access to quality child care for all Canadians. The report describes the purposes that can be served by child care and illustrates how it can advance social and economic objectives of national importance. Major concerns with current funding methods and affordability are identified, and the lack of child care spaces for low-income families is documented. The report also discusses the low salaries and inadequate working conditions of child care staff. The paper concludes by advancing 12 specific recommendations to improve child care access and quality, chief of which is that the federal government promote the long-term goal of a publicly-funded, universally-accessible, comprehensive and high quality child care system for all Canadians. Six appendixes include a list of child care grants in Canada, a description of the Canadian Assistance Plan (CAP) child care subsidy, data on child care costs by income level, an evaluation of various funding options, and a description of a comprehensive child-care service system in Grey County, Ontario, Canada. Contains 119 references. (MDM)