Ontario Unites for Child Care: Demanding Improved Access and Conditions Nationwide

01 Dec, 2023

Ontario Unites for Child Care: Demanding Improved Access and Conditions Nationwide

Today, families, educators, and child care advocates gather at Queen’s Park, uniting for a Canada-Wide Day of Action for Child Care orchestrated by Child Care Now and its allies. Simultaneously, local events across Ontario and Canada amplify their call for improved child care access and resolution of workforce issues.

Carolyn Ferns, Policy Coordinator for the Ontario Coalition for Better Child Care (OCBCC) and a Board Member of Child Care Now, highlighted concerns regarding Ontario's $10-a-day child care rollout, citing extensive waiting lists and workforce challenges. "CWELCC is an ambitious project, but it’s crucial to acknowledge its limitations and rectify them," Ferns asserted.

Advocates emphasize a looming staffing crisis, estimating a shortage of 8,500 early childhood educators in Ontario by 2026. Closed waitlists, centers operating at reduced capacity, and families requested to keep children home due to staff shortages epitomize the escalating issues.

Proposed solutions center on implementing a robust workforce strategy, advocating for a salary scale starting at $30-$40 an hour for Registered Early Childhood Educators and $25 per hour for non-RECE staff.

This Day of Action follows the annual Child Care Worker and Early Childhood Educator Appreciation Day, prompting Alana Powell, Executive Director of the Association of Early Childhood Educators Ontario (AECEO), to urge transformative action beyond gratitude. Powell stressed the urgency to address the crisis, benefiting not only educators but also families excluded from an unequal system.

Carolyn Ferns emphasized Canada's significant deficit in licensed child care spaces, citing the inability of Ontario families to secure child care amidst the cost-of-living crisis. Urgent government intervention is demanded to address the persistent workforce crisis hindering access to child care when needed.