Excerpts
The 2026 Ontario budget shows that the Ford government still doesn’t understand the value of early learning and child care to Ontario’s economy. Ontario families, communities, the economy – and the provincial government – are benefiting from federal investment in the Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care (CWELCC) system. But Ontario’s recent budget shows that the province still won’t pay its fair share. While child care remains within provincial jurisdiction, federal investments are now footing the majority of the bill. in our pre-budget submission, we called on the Ontario government to boost its contribution by at least $500 million to match federal investments.
Seeing a commitment in the budget to working with the Federal government to sustain the CWELCC program is promising news, but without an additional allocation of provincial funding, the program will not have the investment it needs meet the Ontario’s stated goal “to support access to child care for all families while strengthening early learning services and child care programs.”
...
The second edition of the AECEO and OCBCC’s Roadmap to Universal Child Care in Ontario was released in Fall 2025 and outlines 21 policy recommendations to transform Ontario’s ELCC sector into a more affordable, equitable and high quality system. Policy interventions address the issues of system building, funding sources and approach, affordability, workforce development, and expansion. The Roadmap envisions a system where every child has the right to early learning and child care and knows that there is a caring and joyful place for them to play and learn each day. Where families would know there is a space where and when they need it.
Where educators are respected for their knowledge, skills, talents, and education and provided professional pay, decent work, and benefits and pension plans that honour their work. Where governments work together to create a truly universal, accessible, publicly funded, early learning and child care system.
...