Where the parties stand on daycare
Childcare is a major issue in the Ontario election, with all three main parties proposing vastly different visions. Here is a look at their plans.
LIBERALS
Whom does it cover?
The cost of childcare would be fully covered for all children from age 21/2 to four, when they can start kindergarten.
What types of care are included?
Licensed childcare centres, both not-for-profit and forprofit.
What does it cost?
Parents of preschool-aged children aged 21/2 to four would pay no daycare fees. The plan would cost taxpayers $2.2 billion over three years.
When would it be implemented?
Starting in 2020.
What else does the plan offer?
The Liberals would put $162.5 million toward helping with costs of infant and toddler care and $534 million over six years to build 14,000 more preschool childcare spaces.
What do the experts say? The plan was based on recommendations from University of Toronto economics professor Gordon Cleveland. Critics have noted that it doesn’t cover the most expensive years — infant care runs up to $25,000 a year, while the Liberals estimate their plan would save families an average $17,000 a year. But Cleveland calls it a first step.
“There’s no special magic about preschoolers except that we do have a lot more capacity at that age level right now,” says Cleveland, who also appeared at a Liberal campaign event touting the plan.
Rachel Langford, an associate professor of early childhood studies at Ryerson University, called the plan “sound” because there are a sufficient number of existing preschool childcare spots to accommodate increased demand that would come from free care.
NDP
Whom does it cover?
Infants and toddlers at first, followed by preschoolers. What types of care are included?
Licensed, not-for-profit childcare. Three-quarters of Ontario’s licensed childcare centres are not-for-profit. What does it cost? Families making under $40,000 would pay no fees. Families above that threshold would pay on a sliding scale based on their income. The NDP has said the average would be $12 a day, but has not provided specifics about whom would pay which amounts, except to say 70 per cent of families would pay $12 a day or less. After an initial $375 million investment from the government in 2018-19, the cost for taxpayers would ramp up to $3.8 billion in 2022-23, with a total projected cost of $11.4 billion over five years.
When would it be implemented?
The plan would start with care for infants and toddlers in 2019-20, followed by preschoolers the following year. What else does the plan offer?
Existing subsidies would not be reduced. The number of licensed, not-for-profit childcare spaces would be expanded by 51 per cent — an additional 202,000 spaces — by adding more than 10 per cent each year. It would prioritize new spots in public schools.
What do the experts say? The plan is based on recommendations from the Ontario Coalition for Better Childcare. They have called for a universal childcare system that is affordable, pays early childhood educators well, and expands only in the public or not-for-profit sectors. The coalition says for-profit care tends to be of a poorer quality, and they say limiting for-profit childcare is key to responsibly expanding care in Ontario.
PCs
Whom does it cover? Children under 15 years old. What types of care are included?
Families could select from a variety of options, including licensed and independent childcare spaces, babysitters, nannies, after-school recreational programs, “and a range of other options, as long as it enables the parent to go back to work,” the Tories have said.
What does it cost?
Families would receive an Ontario Childcare Rebate of up to 75 per cent of childcare expenses, up to $6,750 per child until age six. For kids six to 15, families would receive up to $3,750. It would work on a sliding scale, with families earning less than $34,800 qualifying for the maximum and declining to a rebate of 26 per cent of childcare costs for families with an income of $155,095 or higher. It would cost $389 million a year, the Tories say. When would it be implemented?
Jan. 1, 2019.
What else does the plan offer?
The plan does not promise to create additional spaces. What do the experts say? Critics say even $6,750 would leave some families paying nearly $15,000 a year for infant childcare. Langford flagged the cost estimate as too low. “The PCs are promising $389 million for the tax rebate. There are 2.2 million eligible children from zero to 14 … that would work out to about $175 per child.” But the Tories say this is an oversimplification. Not all children would need some form of care, plus parents with an infant in care would spend far more than a parent paying for an afterschool sports program, they say.