Association Early Childhood Educators Ontario

Breaking News: Ontario's Phase Two Regulation Changes

On May 9th, 2016 the Ministry of Education posted the Phase Two Regulation changes that will take effect at varying effective dates starting July 2016.

Please take time to read through these changes.

The AECEO Board and staff are reviewing these changes and will release a more formal response as soon as possible. The AECEO will continue to advise the provincial government to build a real system of child care in order to address long standing issues of high parent fees, low wages for early childhood educators and lack of regulated spaces for children 0-3 years of age - among others. 

The OCBCC has launched a petition that calls on the province of Ontario to work towards a clear goal of developing a universal early childhood education and child care system. 

Please go here for more information on how you can participate.

Related News

AECEO's response to Phase 2 Regulatory Posting

As it is our mission to act on behalf of Ontario’s registered early childhood educators (RECEs), our response to the Ministry's request for feedback on the Phase 2 Regulatory Posting related to the Child Care and Early Years Act, 2014 (CCEYA) and the work of the Minister of Education’s Early Years Advisory Committee focuses mainly on issues of particular concern to RECE professionals. The AECEO’s response addresses concerns and recommendations related to the following posting items: B1 – authorized recreation programs, C – enforcement, D1 – tiered licensing, E1 – home child care agencies, and E2 (i) age grouping, ratios, and group size (ii) reduced ratios. 

The AECEO supports the Ministry on their proposal to add an additional qualified RECE to the infant, toddler and preschool age groups – a recommendation that the AECEO has continuously called for. As RECEs across the province make every effort to secure full-time, stable jobs with decent wages we believe that this would be a step in the right direction. However, we are concerned that reducing ratios and increasing group sizes for our youngest children is out of line with research and recommendations on quality – even with an additional RECE. The AECEO believes that altering age groups, weakening ratios, and increasing group sizes is out of line with the professional standards of RECEs in the province who, despite being under-resourced and under-paid work extremely hard to provide quality early childhood programs. 

AECEO Response to Phase 2 Regulations under the Child Care Early Years Act, 2014 (pdf)          

Responses by other Child Care Organizations

Ontario Coalition for Better Child Care (OCBCC)

Childcare Resource and Research Unit

Atkinson Centre for Society and Child Development

Summaries/Briefs 

AECEO summary

OCBCC summaries

Proposed changes to child care regulations - Ontario 2016
BRIEFing Notes - Childcare and Resource and Research Unit (CRRU)

Open Letter to Premier Kathleen Wynne about proposed changes to staff: child ratios and group sizes in Ontario child care centres