Affordable child care is about to be more of a reality for residents.
The provincial and federal governments recently announced a $13.2 billion agreement that will lower fees. It will provide an average of $10 a day child care by September of 2025.
Milton’s Member of Parliament (MP) Adam van Koeverden shares his thoughts.
He gave a quick shoutout to several local organizations that provided him with some insight into what is needed for the plan, including Milton Community Resource Centre, the Family Place, YMCA, United Way, and many more. The insight provided was able to produce some recommendations that helped develop the new plan.
In a press release regarding the new plan, the provincial government included some highlights for Ontario:
- A federal investment of $13.2 billion over six years with the province having secured more certainty around out-year funding. The deal includes an additional year of funding of at least $2.9 billion.
- The flexibility to allocate federal funding in a way that will allow the province to deliver an average of $10 a day child care, including by spending the initial $10.2 billion over four years instead of five.
- Enhanced protection against funding shortfalls through a mandated financial review process in year three – the first of its kind in any provincial child care deal – to reconcile the actual costs of the new national child care plan with funding.
- Reduction of child care fees through four steps of reduction to an average of $10 a day per child five years old and younger by September 2025.
- Parent rebates, retroactive to April 1, will begin in May.
- Protection of all for-profit and non-profit child care spaces, helping to support predominantly female entrepreneurs across the province who provide high-quality child care services.
- Creation of approximately 86,000 new, high-quality child care spaces for children five years old and younger.
- Hiring new early childhood educators and support improved compensation for all Registered Early Childhood Educators (RECEs) working in licensed child care.
- Maintain Ontario’s child care tax credit program that supports 300,000 families with expenses in licensed and unlicensed child care.
- Work with municipalities to enrol 5,000 licensed child care centres and home child care agencies into the program between now and September 1.
MP van Koeverden says the process has already begun.
He notes how Milton is one of the youngest constituencies in all of Canada, meaning there are a lot of kids in our neighbourhoods, and that leads to a lot of residents benefiting from the deal.
Parents will see the decrease in fines immediately at the child care centres. There won’t be any filing or applications.
MP van Koeverden notes that there are a lot of parents who may be looking to returning to full time work that feel they can’t because of the high prices of child care. He hopes this new deal will see a surge in the workforce.
The rising cost of living in Milton was taken into account, especially with the recent inflation spike and high gas prices. He says affordable living was one of the main topics he heard from residents when knocking on doors before the election. He feels this deal will address one of the higher costs of living and that saved money can be used on other necessities.
Co-op housing and the possibility of introducing more affordable housing options to Milton was also touched on in the interview. That will be part of another story that can be expected later this week.
