Ad Hoc Committee on Poverty in Toronto

CFUW TORONTO CAUCUS

AD HOC COMMITTEE ON POVERTY IN TORONTO

Notes of Meeting on August 29, 2016 with Ministry of Education Officials

Participants:

Shannon Fuller, Assistant Deputy Minister in the Early Years Division of the EDU.

Katherine Kelly Gatten, Director of Business, Planning, Outcomes and Assessments of the EDU.

Margaret McGovern

Kathryn Wilkinson

Catherine Molyneux

Helen Penfold

The representatives from the Ad Hoc Committee on Poverty in Toronto provided general information about CFUW and our goals, we provided a copy of CFUW's Fact Sheet on Early Learning and Child Care for the EDU officials. The meeting was an open exchange of ideas and information. We were able to stress the need for subsidized spaces and for not-for-profit, universally accessible programs.

There are 500 million dollars scheduled to start flowing from the federal government to the provinces across Canada in 2016-2017. One hundred million of these funds is slated for early learning and child care for indigenous children.

Up to this point, Ontario has focussed on the implementation of universally accessible junior kindergarten with before and after care as part of the legislation. Where there is a request for before and after care it is implemented, although there are still wait lists in place.

At this time weekly meetings are taking place between the policy staff of the Ontario Ministry of Education, and the policy staff of The Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, regarding the funding for the national framework. Multi-lateral meetings will be held with the provinces, as well as bi-lateral meetings with Ontario in preparation for a Ministers' meeting this fall. The Ministers' meeting will be composed of whichever Minister is responsible for early learning and child care. In eight provinces that is the Minister of Education.

Katherine Kelly Gatten provided important information regarding her team's work on evidence based decision making for forming and implementing policy. Ontario provides one billion dollars a year to municipalities -- the only province in Canada to provide for child care in this manner. Currently Ontario is serving 20% of 0 - 12 year olds in licensed day cares, however 43% of 0 - 12 year olds require places. Ontario is waiting to see the extent of the multi-year commitment from the federal government for early learning and childcare. We again stressed our commitment to affordable and universally accessible programs.

We were informed about Ontario's three pronged approach which includes:

1. Ontario Early Years Child and Family Centres

2. Full-day Kindergarten and Child Care Centres

3. Child and Family Support.

Ontario is providing a $2.00 per hour subsidy for Early Childhood Educators working within child care centres to close the wage gap with those working in schools.

We explored the idea of a speaker for the March 25, 2017 meeting of CFUW Ontario Council, and Shannon Fuller was very receptive to that idea. Margaret McGovern will help coordinate.