Excerpts
Many of us have been waiting for a long time for a quality universal child-care program that is accessible, affordable, inclusive and provided by public and not-for-profit organizations. So how is the $10-a-day child care program working out?
The big issues are shortages of child-care spaces and privatization.
Hamilton has a child-care shortage. Parents who want to access the cheaper child care are experiencing waits of more than two years to get services. This is for a variety of reasons.
Firstly, Hamilton has fewer child-care spaces than most Ontario cities. While some cities had spaces for 40 per cent of all children at the start of the $ 10-a-day program, Hamilton will only have spaces for 37 per cent of all children up to six years old in 2026.
Secondly, there is a shortage of child-care workers. Child-care operators cannot find staff for some current programs, let alone for new programs, because staff are leaving the child-care field over poor working conditions.
Few have pensions or a salary scale reflecting qualifications, responsibility and seniority; and wages are at a school graduation level, not reflecting two years of community college.
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Privatization
Ontario is lobbying the federal government to allow additional for-profit organizations to build new spaces.
These new spaces will come with lower quality programs, less accessibility and more cost to the taxpayer. This is because, generally, for-profit centres have lower quality programs and they pay their staff less and charge higher fees (11 per cent higher in Hamilton). They take public money without committing to pay surpluses toward enhancing their programs.
Under the new funding formula announced Aug. 16, they will be allowed to make a profit of eight per cent to pay their shareholders: a profit paid by us the taxpayers; a profit at the expense of quality care of children.
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