Nearly all licensed child care operators in Hamilton opt in to $10-per-day program
All but eight of Hamilton's licensed child care operators have signed up for a Canada-wide funding program aimed at making child care more affordable for families.
In total 215 out 223 licensed operators - representing 96 per cent - have opted into the Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care (CWELCC) program, which includes a 25 per cent rebate for fees paid by families over the last seven months and gradually reduced fees.
We are absolutely thrilled to see such high participation particularly because we know what that means for families in the community," said Jessica Chase, director of the City of Hamilton's children and community services.
Affordable child care is vital for supporting the economy, particularly for women to be able to work, she later added.
The 215 child-care operators who opted in represent approximately 8,300 spaces for children up to five years old.
The city does not yet have the final numbers from the province to compare how Hamilton fared compared to other municipalities. But Hamilton at least appears to have a higher uptake than Toronto, which according to The Toronto Star had 16 per cent of eligible child care operators either opt out or not respond by deadline.
Chase said the city proactively reached out to all providers, who had until Nov. 1 to let families know in writing if they opted out. It's not clear why eight chose not to participate, she said, adding that the decisions were individual.
The phased rollout will begin over the next few weeks with the city processing rebates of 25 per cent of child care fees paid by families at the participating operators dating back to April 1 of this year. Families who receive subsidies also qualify for the 25 per cent rebate of what they paid. The program does not change subsidy amounts.
The city said rebates will be paid to families within 20 days of the operator receiving the funds from the city. Chase said families can expect rebates to begin to be paid out as early as this month, with the average Hamilton family anticipated to save about $3,000 in the first year of the program.
In addition to the rebate, child care fees at participating operators will be reduced by 37 per cent starting Dec. 31, with the goal across Ontario to reach an average cost of $23 per day during this first phase.
The city has 174 non-profit child care operators and all but one opted in to the program. Forty one out of 48 for-profit operators opted in and a municipally-run program also opted in.
Unlicensed child care operators do not qualify. It's unknown how many exist in Hamilton. However, Chase said the city received a number of calls from unlicensed operators interested in the program. They were informed that there are several child care organizations in Hamilton that have a licensing process for in-home child care they could use to be licensed and participate in the program.
The ultimate goal is for an average of $12 a day (or $10 a day if you include families receiving subsidies) by September 2025, along with raising base wages for registered early childhood educators starting at $18 an hour and $20 an hour for supervisors. Wages will be increased by $1 per year until 2025 up to $25 per hour.
The federal and provincial agreement also includes a commitment for 86,000 new child care spaces, including 15,000 spaces previously announced. This is part of the second phase of the CWELCC. Chase said the city has not yet heard details or timelines for additional child care spaces, but says the city will work to make sure they are high-quality, inclusive spaces.
A full list of operators that opted in and out is available on the city's website.
Nicole O'Reilly is a crime and justice reporter at The Spectator. noreilly@thespec.com