Ontario promised families $10 a day child care. When can parents expect rebates?
Ontario parents left wondering about $10 a day child care will have to wait awhile longer, as the province confirms fewer than a dozen municipalities have actually started the enrolment process for licensed child care centres.
When the Ford government inked a deal for $10 a day child care in March, parents and daycare centres alike were wary of how successfully the program would be implemented over the coming months.
The program promised an average of $10 a day child care by September 2025.
The first step in the agreement was a reduction in fees by up to 25 per cent to a minimum of $12 per day for child care for children aged five and younger in licensed daycare centres, retroactive to April 1, 2022. This meant parents would receive a partial rebate for child care fees already paid from April through whenever fee reductions actually occurred.
According to a spokesperson for the Ontario government, enrolment for licensee participation in the Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care (CWELCC) system has begun for 11 municipalities across the province, with 13 additional regions anticipating opening enrolment by the end of June.
There are 47 municipalities in Ontario eligible to implement the CWELCC program.
The Ontario spokesperson highlighted the hard work done by Manitoulin-Sudbury: as a result of their quick action, they are now processing applications from every child care licensee in their district," she said in her statement.
Ontario was the last province in the country to enrol in the federal child care fee reduction program. Carolyn Ferns, public policy and government relations co-ordinator at the Ontario Coalition for Better Child Care, told the Star parents are right to be frustrated that Ontario is so far behind other provinces.
When Ontario signed the agreement at the last minute, the Premier said parents would see fee reductions in May. They should have known that wasn't possible - it was a promise made and a promise broken," said Ferns
There are 11 municipalities in Ontario that have started the enrolment process:
- County of Simcoe
- Manitoulin-Sudbury District Services Board
- City of Greater Sudbury
- County of Grey
- County of Bruce
- District of Sault Ste. Marie Social Services Administration Board
- County of Renfrew
- District of Timiskaming Social Services Administration Board
- Regional Municipality of Durham
- Kenora District Services Board
- County of Lambton
Here's where other major municipalities across the province are in the enrolment process.
City of Toronto
In a statement to the Star, a spokesperson for the City of Toronto said it has started developing implementation and application processes, communicating with over 1,000 child care operators and home child care agencies, and approving programs for the federal program.
The province has given operators until Sept. 1, 2022 to opt in.
Once a licensee has been approved, they will have 60 days to refund eligible child care fees paid, retroactive to April 1, 2022, according to information provided by the city.
More information regarding the opt-in and application process will be shared with licensed child care providers this month through information sessions for operators and a town-hall meeting on June 22.
York Region
A representative from York Region confirmed that the online application for licensed child care operators to opt into or out of the program will be made available on the city's website later this week.
York Region held virtual information sessions with licensed child care operators earlier this month to provide more information about the program and application process. Information will continue to be sent to licensed child care operators and posted on the city's website.
Durham Region
A representative from Durham Region indicated to the Star that rebates for child care costs since April 1 will begin being distributed in the fall."
In their statement, Durham Region reiterated that new child care legislation mandates that rebates be provided to families no more than 60 days after the child care operator receives their confirmation of enrolment into the Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care system.
City of Ottawa
Ottawa says its Community and Protective Services Committee approved allocating $60 million in provincial and federal funds to implement phase one of the new system on June 16. This funding will reduce child care fees for eligible families and increase compensation for child care workers.
Starting in September and running through December, Ottawa families with eligible children enrolled in a participating child care centre could receive fee rebates retroactive to April 1, 2022.
Recommendations from the June 16 committee meetings will be brought to council on June 22.
City of London
A spokesperson for the City of London confirmed an agreement will be presented to city council later this summer.
The application process for operators will open around the same time," said Adrienne Small, a City of London spokesperson.
Small indicated that the City is on track" to meet the 25 per cent reduction in child care costs.
When will Ontario families see child care costs reach $10 a day?
When the federal government first announced its plans for a $10 a day child care program in 2021, they said families across the country could anticipate saving an average of about $6,000 per year once the program was in full swing. In their 2021 press release, the federal government anticipated slashed child care costs everywhere in Canada except Quebec by the end of 2022.
In May, Ontario families were supposed to begin receiving refunds retroactive to April 1.
Further child care cost reductions will take place in 2024, says the province, with hopes to reach the $10 a day child care goal by September 2025.
The Star reached out for comment from additional Ontario municipalities but had not received responses at the time of publishing.
Clarification - June 21, 2022: There are 47 municipalities in Ontario eligible to implement the Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care (CWELCC) program. A previous version of this article said there are 47 municipalities in the province.
Aisling Murphy is a reporter for the Star's radio room based in Toronto. Reach her via email: aislingmurphy@thestar.ca