Affordable child-care deal a dream come true for Sudbury educator

An early childhood educator from Sudbury says she has been waiting more than 30 years for Ontario to get affordable child care.

And she said part of her dream came true Monday morning.

Ontario signed a $13.2 billion deal with the federal government that is expected to cut child-care fees in the province in half by the end of the year, and lead to $10-a-day child care by 2025.

"So I've been advocating for 30, 35 years and dreaming of this day to come where we really think about a national child care system that is affordable and accessible and of high quality and inclusive," said Tracy Saarikoski, executive director of Discovery Early Learning and Care in Sudbury.

Saarikoski is also a member of the Association of Early Childhood Educators Ontario and the Ontario Coalition for Better Child Care.

She said the plan will save families thousands of dollars per year, and will also benefit the province's economy.

"A woman shouldn't have to choose between their work or staying at home because they can't afford child care," Saarikoski said.

"It's not just a woman's issue at all, I'm not saying that. It's about building communities up and building a province up that really values early learning and children in general."

But while she said the deal is a good first step, Saarikoski added a lot of details will need to be worked out.

Part of the announcement Monday included a promise for additional 86,000 child-care spaces in Ontario, though that number includes more than 15,000 spaces already created since 2019.

"But you can't open up 86,000 spaces if you don't have quality registered early childhood educators," Saarikoski said.

She said fair compensation will help attract and keep those educators. Both organizations she belongs to the Association of Early Childhood Educators Ontario and the Ontario Coalition for Better Child Care have called for starting salaries for early childhood educators of at least $25 per hour.

$10-per-day child care

During the announcement Monday morning, Ontario Premier Doug Ford said the agreement is one of several ways his Progressive Conservative government is saving people money.

"It's a great deal for Ontario parents and the right deal for Ontarians," he said. "It's a deal that provides flexibility in how we allocate federal funding, flexibility that is critical for making this deal work for Ontario."

The Ontario deal was the final agreement the federal government needed to meet Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's promise to bring child-care fees down to an average of $10 per day in every province and territory by the end of 2026.

"Child care is becoming a reality for all Canadians," Trudeau said at the announcement.