Winter 2018

Since 2009, the current government in Ontario has been committed to transforming the early learning and child care sector. This has resulted in the implementation of Full Day Kindergarten, a commitment to before- and after-care programs for children in kindergarten and, most recently, care for school-age children in schools. This is all in addition to a strong federal provincial agreement on child care in 2017 that confirmed further growth and expansion.

There is no doubt that the cost of child care is beyond the ability of many parents to sustain – particularly when they have more than one child in care. And accessibility and affordability are major issues for many families who are not able to access fee subsidy. Yet, while we are concerned about accessibility, we also want to ensure that the child care professionals are fairly compensated and have good employment conditions. The provincial government has been working through these many challenges and has made a bold commitment to add 100,000 child care spaces by 2021.

As you know, there will be a provincial election on June 7, 2018. I encourage families to ask candidates of all political parties about their position on child care and early learning programs. What will the different parties do to continue to build a system of affordable and accessible child care in Ontario?

Access to high-quality, affordable child care is needed now for all families in Ontario.

Cheers, Joan