Before-and-after school programs (BASPs) are a critical part of Ontario’s child care, education, and economic infrastructure. These programs make it possible for parents to maintain employment while ensuring their children are cared for in safe, supportive environments.
Yet across Ontario, this essential system is becoming increasingly unstable.
Recent closures highlight the growing fragility of the third-party child care model. In Huron-Perth, families were thrown into crisis when a provider abruptly shut down BASPs at two elementary schools, eliminating 240 child care spaces overnight. This situation is not unique. A recent article from GuelphToday detailed another BASP closure. Nearly 200 families in Guelph were left in limbo when a third-party operator announced plans to shut down.
Under Ontario Regulation 221/11, school boards are required to ensure BASP programs are available where there is sufficient demand. Boards can either operate these programs directly or contract them out to third-party providers. When school boards rely on third-party providers, they also assume the risks tied to those providers, staffing shortages, financial instability, and service disruptions. Data collected through B2C2’s outreach shows that of 59 responding school boards, 20 have already experienced third-party provider closures. The most frequently cited reason is an ongoing shortage of qualified early childhood educators (ECEs).
ECE workforce shortages are the consequence of poor labour conditions. Third-party BASPs often rely on split-shift schedules, where educators work short morning and afternoon blocks with unpaid gaps in between. These conditions make it difficult to recruit and retain staff, particularly in a sector already facing low wages and limited job security. The result is a cycle of instability that ultimately lands on families.
In contrast, some school boards have switched to the Seamless Day Model where the school board operates BASPs. The Waterloo Region District School Board (WRDSB) offers a compelling example through its extended-day, board-operated model. For more than 15 years, WRDSB has built a system that integrates child care directly into the public education framework. Today, it operates programs in most of its elementary schools, employing hundreds of full-time, unionized early childhood educators and serving thousands of children. It does this by offering a seamless program and staffing model between before-and-after-school programs and the day-to-day kindergarten sessions. The same registered early child care educators work in both the BASP and the kindergartens.
By eliminating split shifts and offering stable, full-day employment with competitive wages and benefits, this model addresses the root causes of workforce shortages. Just as importantly, it creates a seamless experience for children, one where care and learning are connected.
To explore the Seamless Day Model in greater depth B2C2 in partnership with the WRDSB and Atkinson Centre for Society and Child Development are organizing two webinars. These sessions will showcase the WRDSB extended-day model and offer practical insights for communities interested in transitioning away from third-party delivery.
Webinar Dates:
- Thursday, April 9 | 12:00–1:00 PM (EDT)
- Thursday, April 23 | 2:00–3:15 PM (EDT)
The first session will provide an overview of the Waterloo model and its outcomes. The second will focus on implementation considerations, including how school boards and communities can adopt similar approaches.
To RSVP, please contact Stacey Mudie at [email protected]. Space is limited.
