Item - 2010.CD29.1

City Council on January 26 and 27, 2010, adopted the following:

1.         City Council support the full vision (direction and scope) of the Charles Pascal Report, which articulates strong municipal responsibility for systems planning, system management and governance through an accountability framework with the province for services from prenatal to 12 years of age.

2.         Given expertise within the City of Toronto as manager of the second largest child care system in Canada, and in the spirit of the Toronto-Ontario Cooperation and Consultation Agreement (T-OCCA) and stated positions and priorities of the Ontario Municipal Social Services Association (OMSSA), City Council authorize staff to support and assist Provincial ministries in development and implementation of the Early Learning Program (ELP).

3.         Notwithstanding a phased in implementation, City Council request that the Province of Ontario confirm by February 2010 its intent to move forward with the full vision for the ELP, and reaffirm the role of municipalities in service system management.

4.         City Council reaffirm the importance of families having centralized access to subsidies and encourage the Province to recognize the City as the one centralized subsidy administrator for families accessing children’s services in Toronto.

5.         City Council request that the Province of Ontario provide all necessary tools to support the transition to an ELP and ensure that the child care system remains stable and sustainable. These tools and processes should include, but are not limited to:

i.          detailed implementation plans and processes;

ii.         a supportive implementation framework that includes:

-           simplified and more flexible funding formulas that enable base funding of programs affected by implementation of ELP;

-           necessary regulation changes; and

-           clarified roles and responsibilities;

iii.        transitional funding for capital and operating expenses in the 2010 Provincial Budget;

iv.        inclusion of planning and associated resources for Ontario Early Years Centres (OEYCs) under the municipal system management formula with a view to integrating services into a single system; and

v.         creation of an inter-ministerial policy and implementation table to address the full range of implementation issues.

6.         City Council direct City staff, in consultation with community partners, to develop criteria for supporting child care programs impacted by the introduction of ELP; such criteria to be based on Service Planning principles, program quality and cost effectiveness.

7.         City Council direct staff to put in place a joint process with the Boards of Education, that includes consultation with community stakeholders, to address implementation and operational issues.

8.         City Council request the Province of Ontario to ensure that the provincial funding formula provides sufficient funding to maintain existing service levels of 24,000 child care subsidies, recognizes cost of living and other legitimate increases in operating costs, and ensures program quality and adequate qualified staffing.

9.         In the event that the Province does not confirm the vision and  municipal role for ELP by the end of February 2010, transitional funding for early learning, and a strategy to address the end of Best Start funding by the time of the Provincial budget in 2010, City Council direct City staff to develop contingency plans for gradual child care service level reduction of 2,000 subsidies by 2011 and 3,000 by 2012, such plans to be based on client attrition and respect the principles of the Service Plan, such as age and geographic equity.

10.       City Council request the General Manager, Children’s Services, to report back mid year on implementation of ELP and strategies for addressing fiscal challenges, including strategies to ensure sufficient funding in the base budget to cover the actual cost of the City's 20% share of child care subsidies.

11.       City Council request that the Government of Canada recognize the national importance of sustainable child care and restore the National Child Care Plan, and as part of its Spring Budget, provide the resources required to stabilize child care nationally.

12.       City Council request the General Manager, Children’s Services, to communicate the information contained in this report to interested stakeholders and community partners.