Ontario is home to hundreds of thousands of urban Indigenous children.  Children whose needs are too often overlooked in the provincial child care landscape. While Canada has made historic commitments through the Indigenous Early Learning and Child Care (IELCC) Framework and the Canada‑wide $10‑a‑day Early Learning and Child Care (CWELCC) system, urban Indigenous families still face barriers to culturally safe, inclusive child care.

These barriers are not just policy oversights. They represent a failure to uphold Indigenous rights as recognized under both the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) Calls to Action.

Systemic Barriers to Urban Indigenous Child Care

Lack of Indigenous‑Led Authority in Urban Areas

Although 88% of Indigenous people in Ontario live off-reserve, just 2,000 of the province’s 473,000 licensed child care spaces in cities are specifically designated for urban Indigenous children, and few are delivered by Indigenous-governed organizations. 

Friendship Centres have been a cornerstone of urban Indigenous service delivery in Ontario for decades. They currently run 13 EarlyON programs, 7 child care centres, and 2 Aboriginal Head Start programs, as part of a broader, holistic network of services in health, justice, education, and social supports. 

However, unlike other Indigenous services coordinated through the Ontario Federation of Indigenous Friendship Centres (OFIFC), child care programs are managed through municipal systems, disconnecting them from an Indigenous-led community-driven approach.

The OFIFC has consistently advocated for the transition of authority over existing child care services from municipalities to Indigenous governance. Friendship Centres have emphasized that access to culturally relevant, Indigenous-governed child care is a pressing priority for their communities.

Inequitable Allocation & Under‑Investment

To serve urban Indigenous children equitably, Ontario would need an estimated 12,000 spaces in urban areas. Yet only 2,000 exist, leaving a shortfall of 10,000 culturally grounded spaces.  Although the IELCC Framework was meant to address inequities, non-Indigenous oversight persists, particularly in urban settings, undermining true self-determination.

A Rights-Based Lens: Upholding UNDRIP and the TRC Calls to Action

The issues outlined above represent violations of Indigenous rights under both international and domestic frameworks:

• UNDRIP Article 14 affirms the right of Indigenous Peoples to establish and control their own educational systems and institutions.
• UNDRIP Articles 18 and 23 affirm the rights of Indigenous Peoples to participate in decision-making and to develop and administer social and child care programs through their own institutions.

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission has echoed these principles:

• TRC Call to Action 12 calls for federal, provincial, and territorial governments to develop culturally appropriate early childhood education programs in partnership with Indigenous communities.

When Indigenous governance is excluded from child care planning and delivery, Canada and Ontario fall short in both the spirit and substance of reconciliation.

Why This Matters

• UNDRIP Implementation: Canada has committed to the implementation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act. Failing to align child care policy with UNDRIP undermines both Canada’s legal commitments and its responsibility to uphold the rights of Indigenous children and families.
• Truth and Reconciliation: TRC Call to Action #12 specifically calls on governments to develop culturally appropriate early childhood education programs. Implementing urban Indigenous-led ELCC fulfills both TRC and UNDRIP obligations.
• Cultural Continuity and Well-Being: Indigenous child care fosters identity, language revitalization, and resilience. For urban Indigenous children, equitable access to culturally grounded child care is essential to strengthening pride, belonging, and connection to their heritage.
• A Critical Step Toward Reconciliation: The disruption of Indigenous authority over child-rearing is a painful legacy of colonial policies, including residential schools, the Sixties Scoop, and the ongoing overrepresentation of Indigenous children in child welfare systems. Indigenous-led child care represents one of the most promising pathways toward healing and reconciliation. By placing responsibility and authority for urban Indigenous child care firmly in the hands of Indigenous-led organizations, Ontario can begin to rebuild trust and create a foundation for a healthier relationship with urban Indigenous communities.
  

A Call to Uphold Rights, Not Just Promises

Aligning Indigenous child care with UNDRIP and TRC requires:

• Transferring authority and funding to Indigenous-led organizations;
• Embedding Indigenous knowledge, language, and pedagogy; and
• Ensuring meaningful co-governance at all levels;

Indigenous families deserve more than access. They deserve autonomy, cultural connection, and care that strengthens the next generation with pride in who they are and where they come from.