Clock ticks toward Ontario child-care deal expiry, advocates call for certainty [1]
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Ontario’s deal with the federal government to operate a $10-a-day child-care system in the province is set to expire in five months, but there has been little apparent progress in extension negotiations, which has some advocates, operators and parents calling for certainty.
Most provinces and territories signed extensions with the federal government before this year’s federal election, but Ontario only signed an agreement-in-principle to continue the program, which is set to expire on March 31.
Education Minister Paul Calandra said the federal government needs to address a shortfall of $2 billion per year that would occur if the current funding structure is left in place, but first Ottawa needs to come to the table.
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Janet Amito, a single mother, said Tuesday at a press conference with the Ontario Coalition for Better Child Care that she is counting on politicians to uphold their promises to deliver affordable child care.
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Carolyn Ferns, a policy co-ordinator with the child-care coalition, said it doesn’t seem like a priority for either government right now, which is troubling.
“When we reached the agreement in principle, everybody felt like, ‘Oh, it’ll probably get sorted out,” she said.
“You know, that’ll happen. And then the months tick by, the months tick by, and it didn’t happen. But there’s still a feeling out there that it’ll be fine ... that the federal government won’t let Ontario go, and Ontario wouldn’t let this happen, but I’m increasingly worried that (we) actually could lose it.”
Andrea Hannen, executive director of the Association of Day Care Operators of Ontario, said the members she has spoken to don’t believe the governments will let the program lapse, as it has been so popular with families.
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Child-care operators have said one of the biggest challenges in creating new spaces and maintaining existing ones is staff shortages, and a recent report by Ontario’s auditor general said the province will need 10,000 more ECEs by next year.
A federal auditor general report Tuesday found that the program has so far been successful in reducing fees, but is behind on space creation and other goals.
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