Child Care Watch April 2008
Provincial budget won't address
pressing child care needs
The recent Provincial Budget will not ease the crisis of access to affordable child care for parents across the province.
In 2003, Dalton McGuinty promised to fund early learning and child care with $300 million in provincial dollars. Last year’s budget was the first to include new Provincial funding promising $25 million for last year, and $25 million for this year.
Simply put this is not enough to fix our fragile system. Lack of quality licensed space, exorbitant parent fees, poor wages and an undervalued workforce requires more than $25 million.
In our pre-budget submission the OCBCC drew attention to these issues. We called for a universal wage enhancement grant to lift the wages and standards for early childhood educators and other child care staff.
But the Government failed to act on either wage enhancement or pay equity. One small glimmer of hope is the on-going “ECE Qualifications Upgrade” program for staff to gain qualifications as Early Childhood Educators. The Government recognizes the benefits of a well-trained professional staff. However, without adequate wages, we lose qualified staff to other professions.
There is work to be done to get child care back on the fiscal map. Without significant investment we will lose the small gains we have made over the last few years.
We need a well funded system of early learning and care. We need only look at our neighbour, Quebec, to see that it is possible – their 2008 budget included $600 million new dollars for child care over the next five years. It’s time for Ontario to make a substantial long term commitment to children.