News & Stories: Policy Monitor

Excerpt: "Since the 2020 Budget, Ontario's Action Plan: Protect, Support, Recover, significant additional investments have been made as part of the Ontario government's urgent COVID-19 response, including: (…) $235 million in additional supports to protect children and staff in child care and early years settings."

Excerpt: "Based on public and sector feedback, the ministry has identified six action areas to improve the child care and early years system. The action areas include immediate commitments, such as consulting on proposed regulatory amendments through the Ontario Regulatory Registry, and longer-term commitments to continue to enhance the system by providing more choice and affordability for children and families, reducing red tape and administrative burden, and improving quality."

Excerpt: "To support parents with the cost of child care and help them get back into the workforce, the government is proposing a 20 percent enhancement of the CARE tax credit for 2021. This would increase support from $1,250 to $1,500, on average, providing about $75 million in additional support for the child care expenses of over 300,000 families."

Excerpt: "The annual report describes the early years and child care system in Ontario. The report includes: an overview of the early years and licensed child care system, including trends over the years; key early years and child care data, including: the number of licensed child care centres and spaces, the number of home child care agencies, EarlyON child and family centre locations and number of visits; indicators under the Canada-Ontario Early Learning and Child Care Agreement; information on children’s developmental health and wellbeing collected using the early development instrument (EDI)."

Excerpt: "Ministers Lecce and Rickford outlined Ontario’s education plan to strengthen Indigenous learning through a meaningful co-development process with Indigenous partners, Elders and Knowledge Holders, including: Mandatory Indigenous-focused learning added to the Social Studies, Grades 1-3 curriculum, including exploring opportunities for new learning on: The role of family and resilience in First Nations, Métis and Inuit communities and nations; First Nations, Métis and Inuit historical and contemporary realities; Indigenous peoples’ interrelationship and connection with the land; The residential school system and the reclamation and revitalization of identity, language, culture and community connections."

Excerpt: "Investing in schools helps support the long-term success of students. This is why the government is investing about $14 billion in capital grants over 10 years to construct more schools, improve existing facilities across Ontario and support education-related projects. As part of this investment, the government is providing $1.4 billion for the 2021–22 school year to support the repair and renewal of schools, including upgrading ventilation systems. Over five years, the government is investing up to $1.0 billion to create up to 30,000 licensed child care spaces for families and communities across the province."

Excerpt: "The newly approved Capital Priorities Program projects will create 19,700 new student spaces, and 1,525 new licensed child care spaces in schools. These new spaces will be supported by an investment of $565 million, which will see 26 new schools and 20 permanent additions and renovations built. In addition, the Ontario government will collaborate with several school boards in this round of Capital Priorities funding to expand solutions for accelerated school construction through a pilot project using modular construction methods. This will deliver efficiencies in construction and reduce build times so that students can take advantage of new and updated schools sooner."

Excerpt: "Ontario and Canada have signed a $13.2 billion agreement that will lower fees for families and deliver an average of $10 a day child care by September 2025."

Excerpt: "To support the child care sector implement these new measures, Ontario is committing $395M from 2022/23 to 2026/27 to help achieve the average of $10 /day commitment and to ensure child care workers for the 6-12 age group benefit from the wage increases committed to for child care workers for the 0-5 age group."

Excerpt: "The benefits of this funding will begin immediately, reducing fees in participating licensed child care for children five years old and younger by up to 25 per cent beginning in April 2022, through retroactive rebates to parents between May and December. In December 2022, parents will see another reduction. In total, by the end of 2022, fees for families will be reduced by 50 per cent, on average. Ontario will achieve an average of $10‐a‐day child care by September 2025. To ensure a sustainable future that protects Ontario taxpayers and puts parents first, the Canada–Ontario agreement also ensures that the cost of implementing the agreement will continue to be monitored by Canada and Ontario with an automatic financial review process in 2024–25."

Excerpt: "Child care staff employed by Licensees with maximum wage increases specified under the Protecting a Sustainable Public Sector for Future Generations Act, 2019 (PSPSFGA) may not be eligible for an increase in compensation to the wage floor or to the $1 per hour annual wage increase. Licensees are required to meet any applicable obligations under the PSPSFGA."

Excerpt: "Ontario values the important role of child care and early years professionals. Since 2015, Ontario has supported recruitment and retention of RECEs in child care through the Ontario Wage Enhancement Grant. In 2021, Ontario invested $203 million to help attract and retain RECEs within Ontario's child care system and support access to stable, high quality child care programs."