Ontario Liberals promise childcare for everybody (under school age)

Liberals are making a three-year investment of $2.2 billion to make full-day licensed childcare publicly funded for children aged two-and-a-half until they are eligible to start full-day kindergarten, starting in 2020

NEWS RELEASE
JACLYNNE HAMEL, LIBERAL CANDIDATE
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The Ontario Liberals are making a three-year investment of $2.2 billion to make full-day licensed childcare publicly funded for children aged two-and-a-half until they are eligible to start full-day kindergarten, starting in 2020. Accessible to all children born in 2017 and later, this investment will save families an average of $17,000 per child.

Publicly funded childcare will improve children’s academic performance, and help more parents return to work after having a child. According to economists, approximately 40,000 parents will be able to rejoin our province’s workforce full-time with universally accessible and affordable childcare.

“I know that for some parents, the cost of childcare has prevented them from going back to work or going back full-time. This kind of investment makes a huge difference for young families, allowing for talented people to re-enter the workforce while their children access high-quality, licensed childcare,” said Jaclynne Hamel, Ontario Liberal candidate for Sault Ste. Marie. “This is a plan that will have a huge positive impact on our families in Sault Ste. Marie, and I am excited to introduce it to our community.”

The Ontario Liberal Party recognizes the importance of being able to access affordable childcare. That is why we are also committing to:

Cut wait times for childcare spaces by increasing operating funding across the system by $162.5 million over three years
Support the continued expansion of child care for children ages 0 to 4 years with a $90 million investment starting in 2018-19
Make sure childcare workers’ pay aligns with Early Childhood Educators in full- day kindergarten
Expand licensed childcare programs in First Nations communities with a $40 million investment over three years
Create pilot projects to explore new ways of delivering childcare, specifically for parents who work long hours, work shifts, or are in precarious work situations

“Mr. Romano and The Doug Ford Conservatives don’t have a plan for child care. All they are offering is a small tax credit to parents, but they plan to cut billions from the services people in our community depend on — like health care, education and transit — while rewarding the rich with unnecessary corporate tax cuts.”

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