Ontario extends affordable child care program without lower fees

Ontario and the federal government have reached a new fouryear agreement to extend the province’s participation in the national affordable childcare program through at least 2031. The deal gives families and childcare operators more certainty, but it does not commit Ontario to reducing average fees to $10 a day. Under the agreement, Ontario will keep average fees at about $19 a day, with a cap of $22, until June 30, 2027. After that, the future of fees will be discussed later. Federal Jobs and Families Minister Patty Hajdu said the funding should help stabilize the system, while Ontario Education Minister Paul Calandra said the new money helps address the province’s shortterm funding gap. The federal government is contributing $12 billion over four years, and Ontario will also receive part of an additional $5.4 billion national funding package announced earlier this year. The province has continued to face growing demand, with wait lists rising in some regions and the number of new affordable spaces still below the original target set under the program.