$10/day child care program: daycare owners have yet to see the details of the agreement

Ontario is the last province to come to an agreement with the federal government for $10-a-day child care. The plan is to slowly lower the cost over the next couple of years for parents, but daycare owners have yet to see the details of the agreement even though the deadline to take part is fast approaching.

September 1st is the deadline daycares have to apply to take part in the $10-a-day program. But Joan Brain, the owner of the Orchard Children’s Centre hasn’t seen any details yet. “I don’t think there is any business owner out there that would sign a contract without knowing the details,” Brain said.

The question daycare owners have is how much money will they actually get to cover the costs. The money comes from the federal government and then goes to the provinces, but it’s up to the municipalities to give that money to the daycare owners.

Karina Gould is the federal minister responsible for the $10-a-day child care and she says over 90% of daycare owners in other provinces are taking part in this program. She’s asking Ontario to have a little patience.

Right now the average cost in Ontario is $70/day for child care. The goal is to have $10-a-day daycare available for parents all across Ontario by 2025.