Demographic Change in Toronto's Neighbourhoods

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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.
SOCIAL PLANNING TORONTO | 33 summer vacation. Families also have problems finding affordable program spaces among the patchwork of available services. In 2015, the City reported that 66% of elementary schools had a middle childhood program. 24 These schools provided 664 programs with 25,145 spaces, serving only 14% of children aged 6-12 in Toronto. As shown in Figure 24, access to middle childhood programs is not equitable across the city with the lowest levels of access in Wards 7, 10, 16, 35, 37, 38 and 41 located in North York and Scarborough. Notably, neighbourhoods with the largest number and highest concentrations of middle years children are located in the inner suburbs and within city wards with below average access to middle childhood programs. Figure 24. Percentage of Children Aged 6-12 with Access to Middle Childhood Programs by Ward Ward 1 Ward 2 Ward 7 Ward 8 Ward 9 Ward 10 Ward 23 Ward 24 Ward 33 Ward 39 Ward 40 Ward 41 Ward 42 Ward 12 Ward 15 Ward 16 Ward 25 Ward 34 Ward 37 Ward 38 Ward 43 Ward 44 Ward 4 Ward 3 Ward 5 Ward 6 Ward 11 Ward Ward Ward 17 21 22 Ward Ward 13 18 Ward 14 Ward 19 Ward 27 Ward 20 Ward 28 Ward 26 Ward 29 Ward 30 Ward 31 Ward 32 Ward 35 Ward 36 % of children aged 6-12 with access to middle childhood programs Less than 10% 10% to 15% 15.1% to 20% 20.1% to 43.7% Source: City of Toronto, Children’s Services (2015). Toronto Children’s Services 2015-2019 Service Plan Toronto, Ontario 24 City of Toronto, Children’s Services (2015). Toronto Children’s Services 2015-2019 Service Plan. Toronto, Ontario.
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