Demographic Change in Toronto's Neighbourhoods

32 | DEMOGRAPHIC CHANGE IN TORONTO’S NEIGHBOURHOODS
birth of their child in the hopes of accessing
high quality licensed child care when they
are ready or required to return to work. 17
If they are fortunate enough to get a spot,
child care costs are unaffordable or deeply
unaffordable for most families.
With the transition to full day kindergarten
(FDK) for children aged 4 and 5, there
has been an increase in the number of
child care spaces for infants, toddlers and
preschool children. However, child care
providers have raised concerns that some
of these much-needed child care spaces
are remaining vacant because the fees are
not affordable. 18 As a result, some child
care centres are struggling financially due
to lack of revenue from vacant spaces,
undermining the viability of the system and
the job security of child care professionals.
Recent research has found that Toronto
has the highest child care fees for infants,
toddlers and preschool children in the
country 19 and is unaffordable for over 75%
of families. 20 More than 15,000 children
from low income families are on the waiting
list for subsidized child care in Toronto. 21
However, far more families are affected by
lack of affordable child care. For a family
with one infant in child care, the median
child care fee is nearly $20,000 per year in
Toronto. 22 That’s a considerable burden
for modest and middle income families in
Toronto who are not eligible for a subsidy.
Since the introduction of FDK, the provincial
government has required school boards to
provide before- and after-school programs
for kindergarten students where demand
is sufficient. 23 As of November 2016,
approximately half of all elementary schools
provided before- and after-school programs
for kindergarten students. During the 2016-
17 school year, there were 318 kindergarten
before- and after-school programs with
10,601 spaces in Toronto, up from 88
programs with 2,359 spaces in 2012-13.
However, there has been virtually no change
in the number of fee subsidies offered in
these programs. In 2016-17, there were only
5,624 fee subsidies with full fees ranging
from $29-$38 per day. In contrast, there
are over 45,000 children enrolled in FDK in
Toronto.
For middle years children, many families
lack access to out-of-school time programs,
including programs provided before and
after school and during holidays and
17 Toronto City Council debate on Toronto’s Child Care Growth Strategy on April 26, 2017.
18 Deputation from Jane Mercer, Toronto Coalition for Better Child Care at the City of Toronto’s Community Development and
Recreation Committee on November 29, 2016.
19 Macdonald, D. & Friendly, M. (2016). A Growing Concern: 2016 Child Care Fees in Canada’s Big Cities. Ottawa, Ontario:
Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives.
20 City of Toronto (2017). Toronto’s Licensed Child Care Growth Strategy for Children Under 4: 2017-2026. Toronto, Ontario.
21 Ibid.
22 Macdonald, D. & Friendly, M. (2016). A Growing Concern: 2016 Child Care Fees in Canada’s Big Cities. Ottawa, Ontario:
Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives.
23 City of Toronto, Children’s Services (2016). Full-Day Kindergarten and Schoolage Program Updates. Staff Report. Toronto, Ontario.