Cost Of Child Care Still A Burden For Many Families

by Bob Montgomery

A presentation from Huron County's Manager of Ontario Works and Social Services informed county council about the new Five Year Plan for Child Care and Early Years this week.

Cheryl Patience explains the Ministry of Education requires them to create a five-year plan. But the issue of the current cost of child care was a concern expressed by some councillors. They pointed out that the goal of ten dollars a day for child care still seemed to be several years away.

Patience explained getting to a ten dollars a day cost for child care was always going to be a phased-in approach. She says there was a reduction, that was originally announced to be in September of this year, but the government has now indicated that as of January, 2025 fees will be capped at 22 dollars across the province. So as opposed to the percentage increases that were happening, it's going to be a flattened rate of 22 dollars at the next reduction, which is in January.

Patience says her understanding is that the percentage decreases weren't that effective, given that everyone had different fees, so they weren't all going to land at the same reduced rate at the same time, because child care Huron County was more affordable, for instance, than it was in Toronto. So, this step in January to reduce fees to 22 dollars will help flatten rates across the province so that further reductions can occur to get to that average of ten dollars a day.

Patience says at this point she doesn't know when the ten dollars fee will become a reality.