Ontario parent groups call for more funding for after-school programs amid rising cost of living

Many Ontario parents say a lack of after-school programs is making it even more difficult to raise a family in the province amid the rising cost of living.

Two advocacy groups, Moms at Work and Moms Together, are calling on the government to increase funding for after-school care programs. The groups represent over 17,000 parents, and say funding for the program has flat-lined since its inception in 2009. Parents who spoke to CBC News say they want to see all of the overall program costs covered.

They say what used to cover 90 per cent of program costs now supports less than 25 per cent, and the investment should be $40.5 million annually — a figure supported by BGC Canada (formerly Boys and Girls Clubs of Canada).

The province, meanwhile, says it's reviewing the program, has increased the investment this school year by $1.1 million, and currently supports hundreds of sites.

But many families say they're facing long waitlists, and struggling to find accessible and affordable care options in their communities. 

"After-school care seems to have sort of fallen under the radar with $10-a-day childcare and all these other things," said Allison Venditti, founder of Moms at Work.

"I'm in downtown Toronto and there are waitlists for everything. Sometimes there's the space, but not enough staff. Or now they have staff but they can't afford the space with the rising costs. So it seems like everybody's caught in this sort of web of things that are just not working," she said, adding some centres were also forced to close during the pandemic.

Venditti has three kids and says she had to hire additional help because she couldn't get all three kids into the same centre. She says one of her kids was on a waitlist for two and a half years before she got a phone call.

"Providers are apologizing endlessly," she said.

Katie German, senior adviser for Moms Together, says the organization is hearing from several parents who say they are receiving notices that their fees are going up because the funding the providers are receiving isn't enough to keep up with costs.

"We heard stories of moms who have been on waitlists for five years," German said.

"I hear from moms every day who have to reduce their hours at work and take a pay cut to be able to pick up their kid on time. And it affects their cost of living and their ability to get through to the next paycheque."

The two groups have an online campaign encouraging parents to share their struggles and reach out to the provincial government.

The Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport provides funding to non-profit organizations to run-after school programs, including BGC Canada. The ministry recently announced a $1.1 million dollar increase to the program, which will benefit BGC Canada. Owen Charters, the organization's president and CEO says the increased funding is a "great first step" but rising costs and inflation remain a big problem.