Ontario is helping children and families access affordable, quality child care with a historic new investment to help 100,000 more children access licensed child across the province.
Indira Naidoo-Harris, Minister Responsible for Early Years and Child Care, joined by Mitzie Hunter, Minister of Education, made the announcement today at Life-Bridge Child Care in Toronto.
Ontario is investing $1.6 billion to build 45,000 new licensed child care spaces, focusing on schools in 2017, and expanding to other public spaces and communities across Ontario over the next five years. “This renewed framework lays the foundation for the long-term success of our children and our province,” Naidoo-Harris said. School boards across the province are invited to submit their proposals for child care projects in their communities with approved projects to be announced in the coming months.
The province also released its Renewed Early Years and Child Care Policy Framework and Expansion Plan. This blueprint for transforming child care in Ontario will guide the province’s historic commitment to help 100,000 more children aged 0-4 access quality licensed child care over the next five years.
As part of the framework, the province will launch an expert-led Affordability Strategy which will help identify options to further reduce child care costs for all parents and families, and review the current funding approach to child care.
The framework outlines a bold seven-point plan for how the province will transform its early years and child care system, which includes increasing access to early years and child care programs and services, ensuring affordability for parents and families, and establishing a workforce strategy to support Ontario’s world-class early years and child care professionals.
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