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OMSSA’s latest report, Sustaining the Future: What is at stake for families and children in Ontario.  

The report offers a compelling analysis of these benefits, which have included:
- More than 7,600 children who have received child care fee subsidies annually
- Almost 1,300 children who have received special needs resourcing support, provided by 100 staff annually
- More than 5,200 people who have received wage subsidies annually to work in the early learning and child care sector        
- Almost $5 million that has been spent annually for special needs resourcing, school readiness programs, and other important community initiatives

The report can be found on the OMSSA website, please click here.

In April 2010, $63.5 million in federally derived funding for early learning and child care (also known as part of the Best Start funding) will no longer flow to Ontario’s municipalities.  Over the past few months, OMSSA surveyed its members to determine the impact that this funding has had on the children, families, and communities of our province.

While OMSSA and municipal service managers very much appreciate the $18 million in bridge funding that the provincial government will provide in Spring 2010, our report makes clear that Ontario’s early learning and child care system requires longer-term and more sustainable investments.  Such investments will help to keep service waitlists down, maintain high service quality, and strengthen community confidence.

We have shared this report with Minster Laurel Broten of MCYS and Minister Kathleen Wynne of EDU, as well as with Minister Diane Finley of Human Resources and Skills Development Canada.  Please feel free to share this report locally, with local elected officials, media, and other community partners.

As Ontario moves forward with a new Early Learning program, OMSSA believes that the $63.5 million question must remain part of the conversation.  We look forward to working in partnership with the provincial government and with the many community stakeholders to secure a sustainable future for early learning and child care in our province.