Media releases
"Child care community welcomes new funding - first of its kind for years!"
OCBCC, Toronto, 8 Jan 04
January 8, 2004 Yesterday Minister Bountrogianni announced that this year's federal Multi-lateral Framework money - 9.7 million dollars - will go to non-profit, regulated, child care centres for capital repairs and upgrades. This is the first announcement of new funding for child care in Ontario for some time and is welcomed by the child care community. It meets an important need and is an encouraging sign that the new Liberal government recognizes the value of not-for-profit and regulated care. Municipal and district service managers should receive their allocation letters next week to start the flow of funds. Yesterday's clear commitment to the non-profit sector is a good way to start the new year. Another important point was the focus of everyone - the media especially - on the other piece of federal funding for early childhood development - the ECDI money. $66 million is still unaccounted for, and the next instalment of $190 million is on its way and still unallocated. The media was educated on this issue and asked all the right questions - the Minister said they were "working on this" and announcement would come soon. The OCBCC is already meeting with various people in the new government and will meet with Minister Bountrogianni in late January. We will bring a message of encouragement and of our willingness to cooperate with this new ministry as it develops its plans for child care. There is an opportunity here for regulated child care and we’ll be sure to communicate the concerns in communities across Ontario about the parts of the Best Start Plan that could lead us in the wrong direction if not changed. You can count on your coalition to be there at every opportunity, working with our new government, to make sure that they move forward progressively and effectively on child care. OCBCC was at the Minister's press conference, along with about 30 child care community members from across Toronto. The Minister's speech was brief but positive. Here are some highlights: *She reminded the room that the Tories did not put one cent of federal money into child care and stated that "ends today" *This funding would be equally distributed across communities across Ontario and only to regulated early learning and care programs *The children of Ontario have been caught in inter-governmental squabbles and that "ends today" *This announcement "paves the way for planned expansion" in child care *Today shows that her government is "doing the right thing" and that the common goal was the best possible future possible for children. 1 - Toronto Star - Jan. 8, 2004 Funding announcement called `a good first step' Ontario's Liberal government is promising to use federal money to create "tens of thousands of new child-care spaces" in the province. Children's Minister Marie Bountrogianni made the pledge yesterday after allocating $9.7 million from Ottawa to help the province's cash-strapped child-care centres make health and safety improvements this winter. The money is part of a $900 million national child-care agreement signed by Ottawa and the provinces last spring. Under the five-year program, last year's $25 million allotment must be spent by the provinces by March 31. "There will be tens of thousands of spaces over the next few years as a result of this money," Bountrogianni told reporters. "Today's money is only $9.7 million but the significance today is that we are spending money that was meant for child care on child care." Child-care advocates said Bountrogianni's announcement signals a major change from the previous Tory government, which, despite requests from Ottawa, refused to spend any federal cash for children on regulated day care. "This is a good first step and meets the needs of the community and is welcomed by the community," said Kira Heineck of the Ontario Coalition for Better Child Care. But Heineck said the real crunch for day-care centres is operating money. "We've been hurting under eight years of cuts and we need to hear what's going to happen with the next (instalment) of federal money," she said. Olivia Chow, Toronto children's advocate, was pleased the new health and safety funds will be spent on non-profit centres only, ending the former government's policy of allowing for-profit centres to receive public money for capital improvements. But Chow, city councillor for Trinity-Spadina, said chronic underfunding by the previous provincial government means Toronto may still lose child-care spaces this year. The city's child-care system needs at least $18.6 million more in annual operating funds to restore 1,760 child-care subsidies lost last year and to avoid losing another 500 more subsidies this year, she said. Chow said Ontario could easily fund the city's shortfall through another federal-provincial program aimed at early childhood development. City officials estimate about $40 million has yet to be allocated under that program from last year. Another $190 million is scheduled to flow to Ontario April 1. 2 - City TV/www.pulse24.com - January 7, 2004 Childcare centres are getting a facelift in Ontario. On Wednesday the Liberal government announced that the facilities throughout the province are getting $9.7 million in federal funds for new equipment and to make capital improvements. “After years of neglect, it's time to repair the foundation of child care across Ontario,” said Minister of Children's Services Marie Bountrogianni. “We know that if children experience high quality early learning and child care, they are better prepared to succeed in life.” The cash is just the first step to come out of a deal made between federal and provincial social services ministers. Under the Multilateral Framework on Early Learning and Child Care, there’s $900 million from Ottawa for early learning and child care programs for kids under the age of six throughout the country. And there’s an extra $35 million for aboriginal childcare. And the cash going to each province will jump over the next five years, rising to $351,800 for Ontario by 2008. 3 - Canadian Press - January 8, 2004 Child care in Ontario receives $352M boost The federal funding means 'tens of thousands' more spaces in the system in the next several years. This year, the first instalment of $9.7 million will go to Ontario's cash-starved non-profit, regulated child-care centres, which will use the money to fix existing buildings and buy equipment, Bountrogianni said. The money is part of a federal-provincial deal reached last March in which Ottawa pledged to spend $900 million over five years on early-learning and child-care programs. For fiscal year 2004-05, the amount will jump to $29 million and rise to $137 million by 2007-08. There are only enough regulated child-care spaces for 10 per cent of the province's kids under the age of 12 whose parents are in the workforce, said Kira Heineck, acting executive director of the Ontario Coalition for Better Child Care. "We're hoping to see a substantial increase in spaces," she said. Although the federal government has put forward millions of dollars for child care over the past several years, the province didn't allocate the money to improve access to child care, Bountrogianni said. "This is the first time in a decade that federal money has been used for child care in Ontario," she said. "This is the first rung on the ladder for opportunities for kids and it's virtually been ignored for the last few years. That ends now." Bountrogianni said fixing and renovating child-care centres will assist the province as it moves to expand the system in coming years. Although satisfied the new Liberal government is putting this money toward child care in the province after years of cuts, it isn't enough, Heineck said. "We're looking for a substantial amount of funding, so that no child in Ontario loses a child-care space today." The government spends $700 million a year on child care, with $500 million on child-care spaces and $200 million on credits and tax breaks. Under the federal government's Early Childhood Development Initiative, another plan put into place several years ago, there should be about $190 million coming to the province this year and most of it should go to fund child care, Heineck said. The Association of Municipalities of Ontario also said any new money has to be spent on creating more regulated child-care spaces. 4 - Toronto Star - January 7, 2004 Day-care centres to get $9.6M Province spending part of federal deal LAURIE MONSEBRAATEN Ontario will spend $9.6 million in federal child-care money this winter to help the province's cash-starved day-care centres make health and safety improvements. The announcement, to be made at a Toronto child-care centre today, marks the first time the province has spent new money on physical improvements to daycares since 1995. "This is a positive signal," said Martha Friendly, head of the University of Toronto's Child Care Research Unit. "But we are still waiting to see this government's broader strategy on child care." The new provincial money is part of a $900 million national child-care agreement announced by Ottawa last spring. Under the five-year program, the provinces must spend this year's $25 million instalment by March 31. Children's advocates say the previous Tory government starved the province's licensed child-care system, forcing cities to cut daycare subsidies and leaving many centres struggling to survive. There is no provincial data on the physical condition of an estimated 3,000 daycare centres in Ontario. In Toronto last year, 138 daycares requested $2.7 million from the city to replace aging equipment and unsafe playgrounds. But due to the lack of provincial funding, the city could afford to spend only $500,000 on the most serious health and fire hazards in 30 centres, said Toronto children's services director Petr Varmuza. "We have been anticipating this new federal money and we're glad they are finally announcing it," Varmuza said, adding he expects Toronto's share will be about $1.9 million. "But it's a very small amount given the extent of the fiscal challenges child care has been facing," he said. The 45 school-age children at Junction Day Care in Annette Public School have been without playground equipment since 2000 when the centre's wooden climber failed to meet new provincial safety standards. "Some of the kids in our program have never had a climber to play on," said executive director Virginia Thomson, adding that children between the ages of 6 and 10 need this type of equipment to strengthen muscles and develop good balance. "If the announcement means we'll get new equipment it will certainly make our kids very happy," she said yesterday. In Durham Region, day cares have been juggling budgets and staff salaries to meet ever more stringent health and safety standards, said Denise Gilbert, executive director of Schoolhouse Playcare, which serves about 1,000 children in 18 day-care centres. "Personally, I would like to see some announcements not just for health and safety but for base funding," she said. "We're losing competent people because they can't afford to work in this profession anymore."
News update from the Ontario Coalition for Better Child Care
*Minister Bountrogianni reflected on the Tory government's history when child care was "virtually ignored" and vowed that this neglect "stops now"
BELOW are some highlights from the media coverage of yesterday's event (including a Toronto Star piece (#4) from January 7th which highlights our members Denise Gilbert in Durham Region and Virginia Thompson in Toronto!)
`Thousands' more day-care spots promised
Ontario allocates $9.7 million in federal cash
LAURIE MONSEBRAATEN
STAFF REPORTER
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GILLIAN LIVINGSTON, CP
TORONTO -- Ontario will get "tens of thousands" more child-care spaces over the next several years as $352 million in new federal funding flows to the province, the provincial government said yesterday. "Over time, there will be thousands of spaces, tens of thousands of spaces over the next few years as a result of this money," Children's Services Minister Marie Bountrogianni said at a Toronto school and child-care centre.
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Health, safety improvements top areas
STAFF REPORTER
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