July 5, 2007

Ontario's Best Start Plan

Best Start is Ontario’s plan to enhance the early learning, child care and healthy development of the province’s children so they are ready to achieve success in school by the time they start Grade 1. 

More affordable, accessible child care:

• More than 7,000 additional licensed child care spaces have been created by Ontario municipalities as of March 2007, bringing the total to almost 22,000 new spaces since 2004.  The government is investing new funding in 2007-08 to sustain these spaces and create up to 300 new licensed and culturally-appropriate child care spaces for Aboriginal children in targeted off-reserve communities. Today’s investment brings the government’s total investment in child care to more than $841 million in 2007-08.
• In January 2007, the government introduced a new model to determine child care fee subsidies based on income.  Families are now eligible for subsidies on a sliding scale as family income increases. A family with a net income of $20,000 is eligible for a full fee subsidy for their child care costs.  Assuming an average daily child care cost of $43, for example, a family with a net income of $40,000 receiving a fee subsidy would pay about $8 a day for child care; a family with a net income of $60,000 would pay about $31 a day.
• Best Start is being implemented at an accelerated pace in three communities: the District of Timiskaming, the rural areas of Lambton and Chatham-Kent, and Hamilton's east end. Approximately 24 hubs have been created in these communities where families can access a continuum of services related to early learning, child care and healthy development in convenient neighbourhood locations.

More quality child care and early learning programs:

• To establish high professional standards and help ensure quality early learning and care programs, Ontario recently passed legislation to create a regulatory College of Early Childhood Educators that will set consistent professional standards for Ontario’s early childhood educators.
• To support expansion of Ontario's licensed child care system and to attract and retain skilled early childhood education professionals, Ontario is providing wage improvements for eligible child care practitioners through the municipalities. In 2007-08, the McGuinty government is investing nearly $25 million in new funding to provide wage increases to all eligible child care practitioners.
• The McGuinty government is investing $2 million in 2007-08 for improved access to training for child care supervisors and directors.

More investments in early healthy child development:

• Strengthening and expanding early screening for the estimated 130,000 infants born every year in Ontario to identify potential issues, needs and risks.
• Screening of consenting mothers and newborns for risk factors at the hospital, followed by a phone call within 48 hours.
• Expanded support for those who need extra help, including home visits and referrals to other support programs in the community.
• Strengthening and expanding hearing, speech and language programs to identify, treat and support children with a communication disorder – early identification is crucial for helping children develop strong language and literacy skills.
• New early intervention program to provide family-centred services for children who are blind or have low vision.

More supports for families with young children:

• 103 Ontario Early Years Centres across the province, supported by provincial and federal funding, provide free programs and services for children up to the age of six and their parents and caregivers.
• In 2007-08, the government is investing $1 million to provide parents with materials and resources that will help them make well-informed choices about child care, including a website for parents on licensed child care, as well as a 1-866-821-7770 number to call for information and increasing the number of child care inspectors to 77.

 

Additional Information:

• News Release