Item - 2016.CD15.2

The Community Development and Recreation Committee recommends that:

1.  City Council acknowledge that growing the child care system requires investment by all three orders of government to address capacity, affordability, quality and equity, and acknowledge that local school boards, as governmental bodies, also play a vital role in capacity building and site provision.

2.  City Council request that the Province accompany any new provincial initiatives that expand the early learning and child care system, including capital investments and growth in school age programs, with investments in additional fee subsidies and other measures that address affordability barriers for families, and that such funding keep pace with the annual rate of inflation.

3.  City Council request the Federal Government to address affordability of child care for all families as it establishes a National Framework on Early Learning and Child Care, and further, request an opportunity to participate in intergovernmental discussions currently underway.

4.  City Council request the General Manager, Children’s Services to develop a proposed 5 year “made in Toronto” early learning and child care growth strategy that: is informed by data from the Licenced Child Care Demand Study, considers anticipated federal and provincial commitments, is consistent with current cost-sharing; examines changes to improve affordability for more families, such as subsidy eligibility, sliding scale fees and operating grants; and report to the March 2, 2017 Community Development and Recreation Committee meeting.

5.  City Council request the Deputy City Manager, Cluster A, to assess the economic impact, social impact and importance of affordable childcare on Toronto's economy and report to the appropriate Committee.

The following gave a presentation to the Community Development and Recreation Committee on Growing Toronto's Licensed Child Care System:

-  the General Manager, Children's Services;

-  Dr. Gordon Cleveland, Associate Professor, Department of Management, University of Toronto, Scarborough.

This report responds to a request for the General Manager, Children's Services to develop a multi-year growth strategy for the City of Toronto's licensed child care system.

As an integral piece of this work, Toronto Children's Services commissioned a research team from the University of Toronto to study the demand for and affordability of licensed child care in Toronto. This report considers the results from the research study and the implications for growing Toronto's child care system. This report also considers growth forecasts in Toronto's child population over the next 15 years, which the Ontario Ministry of Finance estimates to be almost 23 per cent. Together, these two pieces provide the basis for a strong, evidence-based growth strategy for child care in Toronto.

In addition, recently announced provincial and federal funding programs may have significant implications for Toronto's child care system. These opportunities are explored in greater detail in this report.

From the research study, Toronto Children's Services now has a custom model that can be used going forward to simulate the impact of investments in capacity and affordability on the demand for licensed child care. This report outlines next steps for using this model to develop a growth strategy for Toronto, once more information becomes available on federal and provincial funding commitments.

A number of recommendations are made to Council for working with the provincial and federal governments to fund growth in Toronto's licensed child care system in order to address both capacity and affordability.