TORONTO, ON – The Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) commends child care advocates for the years of tireless activism that led to the signing of an historic agreement between the Governments of Ontario and Canada on affordable child care.

While ETFO is pleased that the Government of Ontario has reached a child care agreement with the federal government, it regrets that Ontario’s delay in negotiations led to a longer period of high child care costs for families in Ontario. These negotiations did not result in more money than the federal government’s initial proposal.

It appears that Ontario families were forced to wait for child care funding because the Ford government wanted to protect for-profit child care providers. In its negotiations with the federal government, the Ford government insisted that for-profit child care spaces be included. This prolonged the process considerably and shows a lack of understanding of the realities families face in seeking child care. The Ford government should follow the spirit of the agreement, which recognizes and prioritizes the need for publicly funded not-for-profit child care across Canada to ensure that all Ontario families will have access to high-quality, affordable child care.

Importantly, the agreement also recognizes the valuable work done by early childhood educators (ECEs), who play a key role in Ontario’s award-winning Full-Day Kindergarten Program.

Ontario parents have been anxiously awaiting the completion of this agreement between the province of Ontario and the federal government. While signing on to the national child care program is to be celebrated, the Ford government’s delay in finalizing an agreement was unnecessary and resulted in additional costs for families.

ETFO represents approximately 83,000 members, including public elementary teachers, occasional teachers, designated early childhood educators, education support personnel, and professional support personnel. Visit BuildingBetterSchools.ca.