Solutions: How the Ontario Government can Rescue and Ensure the Viability and Quality of the Province’s Child Care System

 

In the not-for-profit child care world, we are committed to working with schools and community partners to provide the best care and early learning for children. Ontario needs a strong, healthy and sustainable child care sector to provide high-quality care for children and their families. We recognize that more work needs to be done in Ontario to support children and families to access affordable quality early learning and child care. Working together with local and provincial partners, Today’s Family can help Ontario build a strong, integrated child care system for families.

As a member of the Quality Early Learning Network (along with 18 other multi-site, multi-service not for profit organizations),  we see the urgent need for the development of a child care stabilization and transition plan that ensures the availability of a sustainable, high quality and affordable child care system for all families. Stable, quality child care in Ontario is increasingly vulnerable, leaving thousands of children and working families at risk. Removing four- and five-year-olds from the child care system leaves only toddlers and infants, whose care is far more expensive because they require a higher early childhood educator-to-child ratio.

The Quality Early Learning Network has released  SOLUTIONS :How the Ontario Government can rescue and ensure the viability and quality of the province’s child care system. Child Care is an essential part of an early learning and care agenda. It is a vital service for thousands of families in Ontario and an important contributing support to our economy. Child Care faces an unprecedented ‘crisis’ – we do not use this term lightly as indeed we are facing a dramatic reduction of child care services in Ontario. This open paper outlines the crisis, but more importantly, starts a dialogue toward solutions.

Please share  SOLUTIONS :How the Ontario Government can rescue and ensure the viability and quality of the province’s child care system.We welcome your feeback at: QELNNetwork@gmail.com .

Youth engagement flourishes with collaboration

Throughout the year, Today’s Family is fortunate to be able to engage youth in all aspects of our programs and services. From camp programs to administrative opportunities, we are richer for the experience. In the past year, more than 80 youth have participated in co-op placements, college placements, volunteering, participating in leader in training programs and working in our camp programs. Youth have contributed more than 9000 hours this year alone.  Their contribution is more than hours; they bring a fresh perspective to all that we do. New opportunities emerge, new relationships are formed, and new possibilities are created. This allows youth to plan next steps in schooling and career planning, and keeps ideas fresh and alive at Today’s Family.

Collaborating with other partners, such as the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board,  especially with the Work and Learn program and Focus on Youth program, the Industry Education Council, the YMCA of Hamilton, Burlington and Brantford, Canada Summer Jobs, the Ministry of Culture, Citizenship and Immigration and Mohawk College, allow for meaningful experiences for youth in our community. We are richer for the experience, both as an agency and as a community.

We are pleased to announce that we have been nominated by the Industry Education Council of Hamilton for the 2012 Passport to Propserity Employer Champion Award. It is a pleasure to work with collaborative partners to support youth in our community.