Warning this episode deals with child abuse and endangerment
We welcome back to the podcast Ajay Sharma for this episode.
As we prepared to cover this episode several news items broke ground in Ontario that we felt could not be ignored. First was the Ontario PC government’s plan to back out of the $ 10-a-day daycare funding formula for private daycare providers. The result could be disastrous for parents, children, and ECEs who were enjoying a $2 an-hour pay increase. This sudden reversal is going to leave a big game and lead to what we think will be two-tiered daycares in the province. Result in greater costs for parents with less return.
The second and rather quite alarming news item was a story broke by Global News that under this Ontario government, wards of the state in Children’s aid programs were dying at the rate of one every three days. A dishonour that should bring down any provincial government. So why is there so little outcry or attention being paid to this travesty?
Links to the articles and previous episodes mentioned in the episode are here.
Ontario cutting funding from daycare centres not in $10-a-day program
‘The system has fallen apart’: A child dies every 3 days under Ontario’s care network
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Did you even read the article you quoted? It genuinely appears like you mis-read the headline and never even bothered with the text.
Staff at private daycares who were not part of the $10 a day program never had the $2 increase in pay in the first place. They aren’t losing anything. The only funding that’s being re-allocated is for subsidized daycare – which from now on will only be available at a $10/day daycare center (which is >85% of them in Ontario).
This change is clearly designed to encourage the last remaining private hold outs to get with the program and enroll their centers in $10/day so that their kids and employees will both benefit. It is a positive change that will strengthen the program and EVEN the playfield (not create a two tier system like you say). Right now we have a two tier system. Right now, if you can’t find a spot in a $10/day center you are stuck paying way more. This change will bring us closer to 100% participation from private daycares because if they continue to hold out they will lose more children.
More daycares in the program means more employees benefitting from the pay raise as well. This is a welcome policy change to push stubborn daycare owners who have up until now shunned the program (for various self interests) towards adopting it.