The Alternative Childcare for Immigrant Women research project sought to address childcare issues that immigrant mothers face when working shifts outside of the traditional hours that are serviced by day care centres and day homes. We hypothesized that by addressing the barrier of childcare, immigrant mothers would advance in their careers and achieve economic prosperity. The project included research; development of pilots; recruitment of working mothers, employers and providers; and evaluation of pilots based on their sustainability. The project highlighted the nuanced barriers that prevent the economic advancement of immigrant women.

The project provided a deeper understanding of the childcare and employment choices of immigrant women. We initially posited that immigrant women were not able to access childcare during alternative hours because it was not available, which is not the case. What keeps immigrant women from employment advancement includes the rigidity of employers to permit flexible schedules for working parents; conflicting family values and personal values that play a role in an immigrant woman advancing in her career; limitations of childcare providers in accommodating every client need based on best practices and childcare regulations; entry level workers finding the cost of childcare, even after subsidies, too high and thus resorting to another family member or friend providing childcare to reduce overall costs.