In June, the Ontario government released a paper entitled Modernizing Child Care in Ontario. This paper opens a discussion about the steps needed to modernize the child care sector.
This discussion is of particular importance in the era of full-day kindergarten. The transition of 4 and 5 year olds to the public education system has had a dramatic impact on the child care system. QELN believes that it is critically important for the government to focus its efforts on high-quality programs for children 3 years of age and under.
QELN has entered the discussion by providing a response to this paper. We appreciate the government’s commitment to addressing the challenges facing the sector. There is a real opportunity to provide a system of early learning and care that will support children and families and strengthen communities.
Among our recommendations are the establishment of an expert Minister’s Child Care Advisory Table and the modernization of the funding model, along with new base funding, to stabilize the sector and allow for future growth.
See the government’s discussion paper.
See the Ministry of Education announcement.
See QELN’s response and recommendations.