ONTARIO ROARS LIKE A LION, SIGNS LIKE A LAMB!

Building Blocks for Child Care (B2C2) is pleased that Ontario has finally joined all other
provinces and territories in signing on to the $10 a day national child care plan. It’s about time!

B2C2 is disappointed that the agreement only plans for 86,000 spaces when all expert
predictions put the demand between 200,000 to 300,000 spaces. Based on experiences in Quebec, we know that reducing parent fees down to $10 will create a huge increase in demand. If the spaces aren’t available, most of the benefits to families will not be realized.

It is also a huge problem that the agreement does not immediately raise wages and benefits of early childhood educators. Countless studies over the past five years have indicated that the problem of recruitment and retention of the early learning and child care workforce is due to low compensation and lack of benefits. Feeling undervalued, ECEs are leaving the sector in record numbers. A study in Peel Region found that 72% of the workforce is contemplating leaving the sector. It will be impossible to build a system without a fundamental change in workforce compensation.

The agreement is for 86,000 spaces over the next five years. This is a lower proposed growth than has occurred in Ontario over the last five years. As the Ontario Early Years Report shows the growth between 2014-2015 and 2019-2020 was 112,000 spaces.

To succeed, even this expansion will require:

• $5 billion dollars in capital funding
• Significant improvement in workforce compensation and benefits
• A pledge to create only non-profit, high-quality spaces
• Commitment to ensure priority and equitable access for low income, Indigenous, children of colour, new Canadians, rural communities, and children with disabilities. These are the populations that have been discriminated against and left out or under-served in the past.
• Funding for non-profit programs to receive support from organizations like Building Blocks for Child Care (B2C2) to assist the non-profit child care sector to develop the capacity to develop.

Access to high quality child care will give a new generation of children a good start in life. Societal benefits will ripple for generations to come. The stage has been set. Action in the next few years will tell!

Building Blocks for Child Care (B2C2)
www.b2c2.ca
647 224 4006

If you would like more information about this topic, please call Sue Colley at 647 224 4006 or [email protected]