By Pepper Parr
December 4, 2014
BURLINGTON, ON
For those parents that use day care – the decisions that have to be made are both emotional and financial.
For many – the cost of day care is close to prohibitive – and then there is the quality of the day care.
News reports of children in day care actually dying – and it does happen – frighten parents. For those with limited incomes the choices are not all that good.
The joy of watching a child figuring something out – in a safe environment.
The province of Ontario has introduced legislation that will provide over sight for unlicensed day care.
The legislation will strengthen oversight of the province’s unlicensed child care sector and increase access to licensed child care options for families. In addition, it will allow the province to immediately shut down a child care provider when a child’s safety is at risk.
The Child Care Modernization Act also:
Gives the province the authority to issue administrative penalties of up to $100,000 per infraction by a child care provider.
Increases the maximum penalty for illegal offences under the act from $2,000 to $250,000.
Increases the number of children a licensed home-based child care provider can care for from five to six.
Clarifies what programs and activities are exempt from licensing requirements, including care provided by relatives, babysitters, nannies and camps that provide programs for school-age children.
Requires all private schools that care for more than five children under the age of four to be licensed as a child care centre.
Amends the Education Act to ensure school boards offer before- and after-school programs for 6 to12 year-olds where there is sufficient demand.
Activities that keep them busy and learning at the same time. Is this the first step to getting into poker games?
The legislation builds on steps that Ontario has already taken to improve oversight of child care. This includes the creation of a dedicated enforcement team to investigate complaints against unlicensed providers, as well as an online searchable registry – paired with a toll-free number – to inquire about unlicensed child care violations.
It is another layer of government that will have to be paid for by the government. There was a time when there was pressure to create a Canada wide day care service with subsidies. The province has a service that started out costing $5 per day per child. Ontario has never flirted with that kind of an idea.
Ontario has 5,069 licensed child care centres in the province with a total capacity of 317,868 spaces; 166,429 of those spaces are in publicly funded schools.
Keeping them safe and ensuring that they can be outside getting fresh air and exercise is the objective. Keeping the costs bearable is the challenge.
Starting in 2014-15, the government is investing an additional $33.6 million, over three years, to support the ongoing operation and modernization of the child care system –protecting the gains made through the previously announced investment of $346 million over four years.
Additional information:
Four steps to finding the right child care
I have always wondered why those that live outside of Quebec envy their 7.30/day per child system when Ontario has a terrific Childcare Subsidy Program of our own. I am not sure how Quebec families in low income families were able to afford $5 and now $7.30 a day per child.
A major improvement occurred in 2006 when the Ontario government changed the fee calculation formula from Needs Testing to Income Testing (based on Line 236 of your current Notice of Assessment). This change not only lowered the assessed fees for currently subsidized families but also made many more working families eligible that were not under Needs Testing. This was a terrific gain for Ontario families.
An example of the difference between the Quebec and Ontario system:
A Quebec family earning under $50,000.00 with 3 children (infant, toddler and preschooler) pay $21.90 per day.
In Ontario, based on the same family composition but showing different levels of income the Daily Family Assessed Fee would be:
$50,000.00=$19.60 per day
$40,000.00=$7.66
$30,000.00=$3.83
$25,000.00=$1.92
$20,000.00= no fee (the first $20,000.00 of income is not calculated in the formula)
As you can see Ontario has a progressive fee scale. One that works better for low income earners than the Quebec model. Sure there is always room for improvement as society and needs change. But Ontario has a good solid footing with which to build upon.