Ontario changes funding rules in bid to boost $10 a day child care program uptake

Ontario is making further changes to its $10-a-day child-care program funding in a bid to boost uptake.

Ontario is making further changes to its $10-a-day child-care program funding in a bid to boost uptake, with nearly a quarter of operators still undecided about opting in less than two weeks before the deadline.

The Ministry of Education sent a memo to licensed child-care providers this week saying that it heard their feedback on a need for stability and consistency, and the new guidelines aim to make it easier for operators to participate in the program.

The funding changes essentially continue amendments recently announced for this year into 2023. When those changes were first introduced, opt-ins did increase, said a senior government source, who was not authorized to speak publicly about the matter. But the government wants to boost that further, the source said.

“Our No. 1 focus and goal is getting this program to be accessible to as many parents as possible,” the source said.

Most other provinces ultimately saw well over 90 per cent of eligible providers opt in. Ontario was the last province to sign a deal with the federal government and has extended its opt-in deadline from September to Nov. 1.

This week’s memo told child-care licensees that a “revenue replacement” model would continue for 2023.

It means that once parents see their fees cut in half at the end of this year, operators will receive that amount from the government to make them whole.

The ministry removed previous language about capping “undue” profits and a list of ineligible expenses such as property tax that had caused concern among some operators, particularly in the for-profit sector. Operators worried that they wouldn’t have enough money to make those payments if they opted in to the program and their revenue from parent fees was cut.