The number one priority of the OCBCC is securing sufficient funding for a universal, affordable, high quality, not-for-profit system of early learning and child care.

Over the last several years, you have joined us in demonstrating the financial impacts of current underfunding and advocating for more funding. To all the parents, staff, community members, students and others thank you! Our work together has made a big difference.

There are now several funding initiatives to stabilize child care programs – most notably, the $242 million dollars (over 3 years) committed in the 2012 Ontario budget as a result of negotiations between the Ontario New Democratic Party and the Ontario Liberal Party.  » Continue reading “Update on child care stabilization funding”

An additional $113 million in capital funding has been allotted for school boards (over three years) to support a Schools-First Child Care Capital Retrofit Policy. This funding is intended to help transform child care programs in schools from spaces for 4 and 5 year-olds to programs for younger children.

Municipal Service managers and school boards are responsible for developing a child care plan for minor capital for child care centres in schools. School boards must apply for funding before January 14, 2013 and the money must be spent by August 31, 2015. Funding is very limited and every school board has been allocated a specific number of spaces to convert. » Continue reading “New Capital Funding for Child Care in Schools”

Recognizing the end of the “Modernizing Child Care” consultation, the OCBCC send the following letter to Minister Broten suggesting further steps towards positive substantive changes for the early learning and child care sector.

» Continue reading ““Modernizing Child Care” consultation completed; OCBCC writes to Minister for next steps”

On June 27, Minister Broten released a discussion paper on “Modernizing Child Care in Ontario”. The report includes questions about our collective vision for Ontario’s early learning and care system. The Ministry is looking for feedback on the report and will be taking responses until September 24th. For more information, including the OCBCC’s response, please click here.

The Coalition wants the Ministry to hear from as many people as possible, and to promote discussions within our communities about the needs of the sector. What does a high quality early learning and care sector look like? How can our funding models and regulations be simpler and more effective?

It is critical that the Ministry hear back from our communities about what is needed in our programs. Child care staff, ECEs, and parents who need care are the experts on the sector. We have produced questionnaires to help you form a response to the paper.  » Continue reading “Modernizing child care: Tool Kit to help you form a response”

The OCBCC alerted the NDP to the threat by the Ministry of Education to claw-back any child care stabilization money allocated this fall, if not spent by December 31^st. Child care programs are in dire straits and we worked hard to advocate for every single penny the government committed to stabilizing our child care programs. While it is unlikely CMSM and DSSAB’s will not find useful ways to spend the stabilization funding, we are appalled that the Ministry of Education would threaten to claw-back any funding from our sector.

NDP Education Critic Peter Tabuns asked the following question to Minister Broten on September 8, 2012. » Continue reading “Question to the Minister on child care stabilization funding in the Ontario Legislature”

In Niagara, there are currently 300 people on a waiting list to receive subsidies for child care. Niagara is not the only place with this problem, in Hamilton there are 1600 and in Windsor over 600 people are on a waiting list. The Nipissing District Social Services Administration Board may be forced to start their first ever waiting list for subsidies. The need is continually growing and something needs to be done. Here are some articles that discuss and further explain this problem.

To read Dean Flannery’s article on the waiting list for subsidies at CBC.ca, click here.

To read Casey Wanser’s personal story, click here.

To read more on Nipissing’s growing need, click here.

To read more on the ever increasing problem in Windsor, click here.

At the end of September the CAW (Canadian Auto Workers Union) daycare centre is closing. The foreclosure is due to a lack of funding. Over 170 families are now in search for new daycare and over 50 child care staff are in search of new jobs. » Continue reading “Windsor CAW Child Care Centre Closing”

After the hard work and advocacy of the child care community, and collaborative work between the Ontario NDP and Liberals, $242 million over 3 years of new child care funding was secured in the 2012 budget. (For more on the announcement of this funding, click here.)

The portion of 2012′s funding to be used for financial impacts from FDK and transitional issues have now been flowed through to municipalities. If you want to find out how the funds are to be distributed within your municipality, contact your children’s services representative.

Below, you will find a summary of the policies that have been put out by the Ministry of Education thus far. » Continue reading “Child Care Funding – Where do we stand now?”

On July 26th, a new CUPE research paper tracks the growth of for-profit child care in Canada, documenting the aggressive expansion strategy of several corporations. Continue reading “CUPE backgrounder exposes dangers of for-profit child care”.

On August 7, 2012, the Globe and Mail’s Roma Luciw wrote a piece that outlines the dilemma over which many parents wrestle: When does it make sense to put your career on hold and look after the kids versus going back to work and forking out the money for child care? Continue reading “Should you stay at home or pay for child care?”