We are a group of Kingston residents, parents, daycare centre board members, and staff who are deeply concerned about the effects of the Covid-19 crisis on the sustainability of childcare centres around the city – while at the same time hopeful that the new funding being offered by the federal government will help alleviate these challenges. We are asking Kingston's City Council to pass a motion supporting a national childcare plan.

The federal government has promised more than $30 billion in investments into childcare across the country. As of this week 6 provinces (BC, NS, PEI, NL, PQ, MB) and 1 territory (YT) have reached agreements with Ottawa for their share of the funding. Each of these agreements is hugely promising and will be transformative for the childcare sector. They will see the provinces/territories use federal funds to decrease parent fees, improve wages and working conditions, and inject funding into non-profit and public childcare. 

Ontario has yet to sign an agreement. We would like to do everything we can to ensure this happens. The City of Kingston, as a service system manager, can play an important role in pressuring Premier Ford and Minister Lecce to commit to negotiating a meaningful agreement with Ottawa. City councillors in Ottawa recently passed a motion affirming municipal support for a national child care program and committing to work with other municipalities in building that support, as you can see here:  https://ottawa.ccnow.ca/2021/08/04/420/ We would like to see the same thing happen in Kingston.

As Carolyn Ferns (Ontario Coalition for Better Childcare) writes, "The pandemic has exposed what advocates and workers in the child-care sector have known for decades: child care is essential to the well-being of families and communities." While the cost of childcare places huge burdens on families, wages for early childhood educators sit at half the national average. The federal childcare plan offers a unique opportunity to secure public funding to support childcare workers and the families they serve.