Open Letter to Premier Ford to secure federal child care funding extension

The federal government has offered all provinces 5-year funding extensions for the Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care plan. There is a short window to get this done before the federal election is called.

The newly elected Ontario government must sign an extension agreement right away to secure the future of $10aDay child care.

Educators and child care programs need to know the future of the $10aDay child care program is secured, especially in these uncertain economic times.

Educators and operators have been working tirelessly to make the $10aDay child care plan a success for families in Ontario, but there’s more to be d

one.

We need continued funding to keep building a system that values, compensates, and honours the important work that educators do every day.

Over 100 Ontario child care programs, provincial early learning and child care associations, and policy and advocacy groups have signed an Open Letter to Premier Doug Ford asking him to accept a federal offer to extend federal $10aDay child care funding to 2031.

To add your organization's endorsement, sign onto Open Letter here.

If you are an early childhood educator, early years staff, operator or community member, click here to send a message to Premier Ford.

If you are a parent click here to send a message to Premier Ford.

le français suit

Premier Ford,

With news that the Government of Canada has invited provinces and territories to sign 5-year extensions to the Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care (CWELCC) funding agreements, we are writing to urge you to sign on immediately to secure continued federal child care funding for Ontario’s $10aDay plan.

These offers to extend federal funding are welcomed, as communities, provinces and territories, and advocates have been asking for ongoing funding stability.

The $10aDay child care plan has been a game changer for Ontario children and families, and research shows it is already making a difference for our economy. At a time of economic uncertainty, the continuation of the $10aDay plan will provide much needed stability to Ontario families, to the child care sector, and to our local economies.

Premier, as you said back in 2022 when you signed the Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement, “I’m so proud of the work we’ve done with our federal partners to land an agreement that will lower costs for families across the province. Given how complex Ontario’s child care system is, we wanted to get this right. Today, we’re delivering a deal that will keep money in the pockets of hard-working parents.”

Since signing on in 2022, the Ontario child care community - including child care operators, frontline Early Childhood Educators and child care workers, collaborating with their local municipalities and with your government - has worked flat out to make this plan a success. Having capped child care fees at $22 a day this year, and implemented the province’s new cost-based funding formula, we are in the midst of transformational change.

But we need stability, so that we can keep working towards making $10aDay child care a reality for all families across the province.

Joining other provinces and territories in signing on to an additional five years of federal child care funding is a simple way that you can protect Ontario families, and give the Ontario child care sector the support it needs to continue to expand and strengthen to offer better care in more Ontario communities.

With political uncertainty at the federal level and economic uncertainty from the US, we feel this is a matter of great urgency. We ask that you please make signing this child care funding agreement extension a priority matter to help protect and secure this funding for Ontario families.

Thank you.

Ontario Coalition for Better Child Care

Association of Early Childhood Educators Ontario

Advancement of Women Halton

Aladin Childcare Services

Andrew Fleck Children's Services

Atkinson Centre for Society and Child Development

Balmy Beach Community Day Care Centre

Beatty Buddies Daycare

Bells Corners Cooperative Nursery School

Building Blocks for Child Care (B2C2)

Canadian Child Care Federation

Canadian Mothercraft Society

Canadian Union of Postal Workers

Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Ontario

Cardinal Leger Child Care Centre

Centre Grandir en français

Centre le Cap

Centre pour enfants Timiskaming Child Care

Charlotte Birchard Centres of Early Learning

Child Care Now

Child Care Now - Ottawa

Childcare Resource and Research Unit

City View Centre for Child and Family Services

Cliffwood Community child Care

Co-Chair Advancement Woman of Halton

Community Development Council Durham

Community Development Halton

Community of Black ECEs

Community of Maple Child Care Services

Compass Early Learning and Care

Creative Beginnings Early Learning & Care

CUPE 2484 Toronto Child Care Workers

Dalhousie Parents Day Care Centre

Dalhousie Parents Daycare

Davisville Care Programme Inc.

Discovery Early Learning & Care

Early Years Advocates London

Early Years Coalition Waterloo Region

Early Years Professionals RISE UP T.O. CARE Collective

Equal Pay Coalition

Fairview Child Care Centre of Ottawa Inc.

Family Supports Institute Ontario

Finding Order in Disorder Foundation

First Adventure Child Development Centre

Global Child Care Services

Great Beginnings Child Centered Co-operative Inc-Home Care

Hamilton Child Care Advocates

Hamilton Social Work Action Committee

Heritage Child Care and Early Learning and Heritage Home Child Care Services

Isabella Walton Childcare Centre

Junction Day Care Centre

La ribambelle

Lakeshore Township Community Daycare

Lambton Park Child Care Centre

Links2Care

Little Lions Child and Family Centre

Main Square Day Care Centre

Maple Nursery School

Miigwansag Child Care Centre

Miles Nadal JCC Early Childhood Nursery/Libbie Cowan Child Care Centre

Milton Community Resource Centre

Miss Helen's Place

Montrose Child Care Centre

More Than Just Babysitting Child Care Centre Inc

Munn's Child Care Centre Inc.

Muskoka Family Focus and Children's Place

Newpark Children's Centre

Niagara Poverty

Nottinghill Co-operative Preschool

Oak Park Neighbourhood Centre

Oakville Parent-Child Centre

Oakwood Vaughan Community Organization

Ontario Association of Interval & Transition Houses

Ontario Campaign 2000

Ontario English Catholic Teachers' Association

Ontario Federation of Labour

Ontario Nonprofit Network

Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation

Our Kids Count

Parkview Children's Centre

Pearson Co-op Nursery School

Peel Poverty Action Group

Perth Care for Kids--The Perth County Advisory Group for Family Services

Plains Road Child Care Inc.

Point Edward Early Learning Centre

Queen's Daycare Centre

RisingOaks Early Learning Ontario

Schoolhouse Playcare Centre of Lakehead Inc.

Selwyn Community Childcare Centre

Sheridan College Child Care Centre

Social Planning Network of Ontario

Social Planning Toronto

South Asian Women's Rights Organization

St Patrick's/St Catherine Day Care

Student Early Childhood Educators of Ontario

Studio 123 Early Learning Centre

Sunshine Heights Daycare

Superior Children's Centre

The Family Place

The Learning Enrichment Foundation

The Neighbourhood Group Community Services

The Teresa Group

Toronto Child Care Advocates

Toronto Community for Better Child Care

Toronto Education Workers Local 4400

Trafalgar Oaks Child Care & Learning Centre

Treetop Children’s Centre

Umbrella Child and Family Centres of Hamilton

United Way of Greater Toronto

Unifor

University of Guelph Child Care and Learning Centre

Waterfront Montessori Montessori Children's Centre

West Oakville Preschool Centre Inc.

Willowbrae Academy

Withrow Childcare Centre

WoodGreen Community Services

Workers' Action Centre

Youville Centre

YWCA Hamilton

YWCA Muskoka

YWCA Ontario

YWCA Sudbury

YWCA Toronto

Monsieur le Premier ministre,

Sachant que le gouvernement du Canada a invité les provinces et les territoires à signer des accords prolongeant de cinq ans les ententes de financement du Programme pancanadien d’apprentissage et de garde des jeunes enfants (PPAGJE), nous vous écrivons pour vous presser de signer immédiatement cet accord afin d’assurer à l’Ontario les fonds fédéraux requis pour l’exécution du plan pour des services de garde à 10 $ par jour.

Cette offre de prolonger le financement fédéral est bien accueillie dans les collectivités, les provinces et les territoires et par les défenseurs des services de garde qui demandent depuis longtemps une plus grande stabilité financière.

Le plan pour des services de garde à 10 $ par jour a changé la donne en Ontario pour les enfants et les familles et la recherche révèle des retombées positives réelles pour notre
économie. Dans cette période d’incertitude économique, la poursuite du plan pour des services de garde à 10 $ par jour accordera aux familles de l’Ontario, au secteur des services de garde et à nos économies locales une stabilité grandement nécessaire.

Monsieur le Premier ministre, vous avez dit au moment de signer l’entente du PPAGJE : « Je suis tellement fier du travail accompli avec nos partenaires fédéraux pour conclure une entente qui réduit le coût pour les familles dans la province. Compte tenu de la complexité du système de services de garde de l’Ontario, nous ne voulions pas nous tromper. Aujourd’hui, nous avons une entente qui laissera plus d’argent dans les poches des parents qui travaillent si fort ».

Depuis la signature de l’entente en 2022, la communauté ontarienne des services de garde, incluant les fournisseurs de services de garde, les éducatrices et éducateurs de la petite enfance et les travailleuses et travailleurs de première ligne en collaboration avec leurs municipalités et votre gouvernement, a travaillé d’arrache-pied pour faire de ce plan une réussite. Avec le plafonnement des frais de garde à 22 $ par jour cette année et l’adoption de la nouvelle formule provinciale de financement en fonction des coûts, nous sommes au cœur de changements transformationnels.

Mais il faut de la stabilité afin de poursuivre notre travail pour faire des services de garde à 10 $ par jour une réalité pour les familles dans toute la province.

Être des autres provinces et territoires qui ont signé l’entente de cinq ans de financement fédéral additionnel pour la garde d’enfants est un moyen simple à votre portée, monsieur le Premier ministre, pour protéger les familles ontariennes et donner au secteur des services de garde le soutien requis pour continuer à se développer et se renforcer afin d’offrir de meilleurs soins dans plus de collectivités en Ontario.

Considérant l’incertitude politique à l’échelle fédérale et l’incertitude économique venant des É.-U., nous estimons que cette question est de la plus grande urgence. Nous vous demandons de faire de la signature du prolongement de l’entente de financement fédéral pour la garde d’enfants une question de priorité afin d’aider à protéger et à obtenir ces fonds pour les familles de l’Ontario.

Merci.